Metal Spinning, or Spin Forming, is the process of moving a spinning roller over a metal blank. The metal spinning process starts with a sheet metal blank that rotates on a lathe. The metal disc is pressed against a tool (called a mandrel or a chuck) with a tailstock. The metal disc, tailstock and tool rotate in a circular motion and a roller manipulated with CNC controls presses against the metal to form the metal over the tool through a series of passes by the roller. The resulting part is a piece that mirrors the tool it was formed on. With over 90 years of experience, Toledo Metal Spinning Company is an industry leader in the art of metal spinning. At TMS, we use a variety of materials for metal spinning such as cold rolled steel, hot rolled steel, aluminum, stainless steel, brass, copper and exotic metals such as titanium and inconel. With our automated metal spinning lathes and the capabilities of our deep drawing, stamping and welding equipment, our ability to form your part to your specifications and within your budget are realistic.
We have engineers on staff with metal spinning expertise to help guide you on designing a custom part and choose the optimal process to produce high quality spun parts at a competitive and affordable price. Tooling is custom made to form parts to your configuration.
History of Metal Spinning, What is Metal Spinning?
The earliest references to metal spinning recorded date back to antiquity where the ancient Egyptians used primitive hand powered lathes to spin soft metals such as silver and gold. There is also evidence that similar lathes were used in ancient China highlighting the importance of metal spinning and metal working capabilities of early civilizations across the globe. In the Middle Ages the hand powered bow, used previously, was replaced by a mechanical pedal. This newly discovered innovation allowed for the continuous rotation of the metal blank and freed up the worker’s hands to produce more sophisticated parts with finer details. It wouldn’t be until the dawn of the 19th century during the industrial revolution that metal spinning would take the form that we recognize today. Read More…
Frequently Asked Questions about Metal Spinning and Spin Forming
Metal Spinning, or Spin Forming, is the process of moving a spinning roller over a metal blank. The metal spinning process starts with a sheet metal blank that rotates on a lathe. The metal disc is pressed against a tool (called a mandrel or a chuck) with a tailstock. The metal disc, tailstock and tool rotate in a circular motion and a roller manipulated with CNC controls presses against the metal to form the metal over the tool through a series of passes by the roller. The resulting part is a piece that mirrors the tool it was formed on.
Metal Spinning is an extremely accurate metal fabrication process, creating seamless, symmetrical metal parts. Metal Spinning is ideal for creating durable parts that can withstand high pressure applications without compromising the structural integrity.
Types of Metal Spinning
CNC Metal Spinning and Spin Forming
CNC metal spinning, also known as spin forming, is a highly effective process of shaping sheet metal into a variety of forms. Utilizing a lathe and CNC controls, a metal disc is rotated and pressed against a tool, such as a mandrel or chuck, by a tailstock. Read More...
Manual Metal Spinning and Spin Forming
At TMS, we take pride in offering a wide variety of metal-spinning techniques to best suit our customers’ unique needs. One such technique is manual spinning, which is also known as hand spinning. This technique involves the manual manipulation of the roller used to form the desired part. Read More...
Playback Spinning involves teaching the machine the specific strokes and rollers necessary to produce the desired end product. This advanced method requires an experienced machine operator who possesses a deep understanding of the spinning process. Read More...
Shear Spin Forming and Metal Spinning
Shear spinning involves the “shearing” of material through the spinning process. This means that the thickness of the metal being used is reduced through the spinning action that is being performed. Read More...
Metal Spinning can be more cost effective than other metal fabrication methods due to low tooling costs and reducing the amount of set ups during the production process. Combining Metal Spinning with Deep Drawing is another way to reduce costs while improving quality.
Metal Spinning is highly efficient, therfore many operations can be performed in a single setup, with minimal setup times. Compared to other fabrication methods, metal spinning setup is much quicker, ensuring that lead times are reduced, and more parts are made each day.
At Toledo Metal Spinning Company, we have multiple lathes that can handle many different types of jobs. It is easy to utilize our CNC technology to run spinning cycles for small or large-scale production runs. Whether it’s a small amount of custom pieces, or hundreds to thousands of pieces, our metal spinners will deliver quality and precision without sacrificing any cost-efficiency.
Affordability and Design Flexibility
Due to lower costs and efficient setup times, it is easier and inexpensive to change your design. Through the prototyping and design process, you may run into some bumps and need to make some adjustments. When working with conventional casting, deep drawing, or stamping tooling, such changes could be very costly. In metal spinning, products are much more inexpensive compared to other metal forming processes.
Less tooling
Metal spinning does not require as much tooling as deep drawing or stamping, and tooling is much more simplified than other methods of fabrication. For example, spinning chucks can be made from wood with small part batches. Larger batches will be made from D2 steel, which will withstand years of use with large product runs.
Efficiency
Many operations can be performed in a single setup, with minimal setup times. Compared to other fabrication methods, metal spinning setup is much quicker, ensuring that lead times are reduced, and more parts are made each day.
Adjustable Order Sizes
At Toledo Metal Spinning Company, we have multiple lathes that can handle many different types of jobs. It is easy to utilize our CNC technology to run spinning cycles for small or large-scale production runs. Whether it’s a small amount of custom pieces, or hundreds to thousands of pieces, our metal spinners will deliver quality and precision without sacrificing any cost-efficiency.
No Seams in Spun Parts
This means that these products can withstand higher internal and external pressures. During the spinning process, the grain structure of the metal is realigned, which improves the metallurgy as well as its tensile material strength. Because of this, a lighter gauge material can be used, also saving money!
Smooth Finishes
Metal Spinning creates a smooth finish, often eliminating the need for additional polishing. Skipping this extra step enhances cost efficiency even more, saving both time and resources.
Eco-friendly
Metal spinning is a low-emissions process that produces minimal waste, not to mention there are no toxic chemicals involved in this process. Many metal materials in the U.S. are recycled and able to be reused as sheet metal. At Toledo Metal Spinning, many of our stainless-steel blanks come from recycled materials.
Toledo Metal Spinning Company has nearly a century of producing preformed blanks with our deep drawing, rolling, stamping & welding capabilities. Since metals can only be worked so much before requiring a thermal treating of some kind, or failing, metal spinning alone is sometimes not the optimal processing method. Utilizing a combination of welded blanks with seamlessly deep drawn preforms can reduce processing costs of metal spun components and dramatically improve the level of quality by minimizing the straining or thinning of material. Minimizing straining of material is especially important in materials that strain harden like stainless steel, nickel, and titanium alloys or materials in general that have low elongation. Applications requiring good fatigue life or need to minimize risk from cracking normally benefit using a gently produced preform then spinning it to the final shape. This two step process can avoid issues common with metals that are well worked or highly strained.
Another added benefit using preforms can be the elimination of weld joints and the need to manufacture multiple parts. Round parts made in two pieces and welded together can sometimes be manufactured in one piece. Using a deep draw preform and spinning a final shape, the once two piece weldment now is a seamless part. This typically improves quality and the ability of the part to perform while normally reducing lead time, supply chain complexity, and or cost. Call us today and we would be happy to see what options you have to do more.
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CNC Metal Spinning Capabilities
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Imperial Units
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Metric Units
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Max Blank Size, Diameter
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49.0 in
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1,245 mm
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Max Blank Thickness, Stainless Steel
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0.25 in
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6.3 mm
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Max Blank Thickness, Steel
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0.31 in
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8 mm
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Max Part Length / Height
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48.0 in
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1,220 mm
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Max Roller Force
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19 ton
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169 kn
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