T

oday what is classified as spin-

ning encompasses some of the
ol dest known methods of
reshaping materials, derived from the
ancient Egyptian art of potting on a
wheel. The rapidly rotating, manually
powered potters wheel, in use some
3000 years before the birth of Christ,
provided the basis for the art of spin-
ning. Metal-spinning machines have
been bui l t for more than 75 years.
Development led from hand spinning
in thick-walled workpieces. To com-
plete this range of work, the machinery
must provide high spindle-drive capac-
ities, large longitudinal and transverse
slide thrust and high forming speeds. In
addition, such machinery must be sim-
ple to handle and capable of changeover
within a short period of time.
Top-of-the-line spinning machines
go further. They must be programma-
ble in playback mode, online or offline
CNC mode, or even in combination
playback with CNC subroutine.
In playback mode, the first part in a
run is manually spun by the operator
via joystick and potentiometer. Since
human bei ngs show a ti me del ay
between optical perception and manu-
Metal spinning and its
spinoffs have evolved into
high-tech computerized
manufacturing processes.
Hans Palten is president and Dirk
Palten is vice president of Leifeld USA
Metal Spinning, Inc.Machinery Manu-
facturer, San Pedro, CA; tel. 310/832-
8183; www.leifeldspinning.com.
BY HANS PALTEN AND DI RK PALTEN
From
Ancient
Art to
High-Tech
Industry
M
ETAL
S
PINNING
lathes, to hydraulic spinning machines,
to template-controlled machines and,
fi nally, to todays modern playback/
CNC-controlled heavy-duty spinform-
ing machines. Now, for example, metal-
spi nni ng machi nes wi th combi ned
playback and CNC controls (Fig. 1),
may cost effectively produce one-off
parts out of platinum or huge quantities
of aluminum reflectors.
Hardier & More Sophisticated
A reliable, modern spinning machine
must possess a certain mass in order to
guarantee stability. This mass ensures
vibration-free operation when produc-
ing light-gauge parts at high speed, and
enables very tight repeatable tolerances
3 0 METALFORMI NG / SEPTEMBER 2 0 0 2 www.metal formi ngmagazi ne.com
al reaction, the first part can be spun at
relatively small feed-rate speeds. The
cont rol stores numerous machi ne
movements, i ncludi ng all necessary
additional functions such as profiling,
machi ni ng and cutti ng, duri ng pro-
duction of that first part.
If the part meets all requirements,
the stored-program speed of the part
can be increased to the maximum speed
allowed by the materi al bei ng used.
Program opti mi zati on i s performed
either onlinedirectly on the machine
or with offline software.
A Cost-Effective Process
Metal spinning and shear forming
(single-forward-pass spinning) boast
cost effectiveness through combination
of the two techni ques (Fi g. 2) and
through the range of secondary forming
or machining operations that can be
carried out in the same setup. Com-
pared to methods such as pressing and
deep drawing, spinning and shear form-
ing involve lower forces and require
less power. As a result, equipment is
cost-effectively engineered. In contrast
to punches and dies, spinning tools
usually only a mandrel with the contour
of the inside of the final partare inex-
pensive.
Metal spinning also boasts flexibili-
ty. Changes in job processing are made
through online or offline program edit-
ing. In addition, the simplicity of mod-
ern spinning equipment ensures that
operators can modify tooling simply
and rapidly at a minimum cost.
The process can produce a wide vari-
ety of shapes, providing virtually unlim-
ited opportunities for part designers as
well as for new applications. Especially
where re-entrant shapes are involved,
the desi gner has many opti ons that
would be impossible to duplicate with
other competitive methods. And equip-
ment manufacturers, through ongoing
work to opti mi ze equi pment and
processes, are achi evi ng ever hi gher
quality standards for spun parts.
Benefits available to users of modern
Fig. 1 A modern playback/CNC-
controlled spinforming machine can produce parts
of various materials in varying volumes. Such machines cost-effectively
produce prototypes or huge quantities of parts.
Fig. 2 This part was produced using
two processes: shear forming for the
conical section and spinning for the
cylindrical section.
Fig. 3 I n multi-pass spinning, a disc
blank or preform is clamped against a
chuck by the machine tailstock and
rotated by the drive motor. The spinning
roller, on a two-axis compound slide,
makes a series of sweeping motions,
progressively forming the metal onto the
chuck.
www.metal formi ngmagazi ne.com METALFORMI NG / SEPTEMBER 2 0 0 2 3 1
spin-forming equipment include:
high flexibility,
increased level of automation,
optimum grain flow,
very low risk of crack propagation,
high mechanical strength and hard-
ness,
cost reductions through high mate-
rial yield,
variety of operations possible in
one setup and
favorable cycle times.
Whatever the application, spinning
and shear forming offer attractive cost
benefits. These benefits apply to pro-
duction of one-offs and prototypes as
well as to small to medium runs and, for
certain part applications, high-volume
manufacturing.
Spinning Methods
Multi-pass spinning. Here, a disc
blank or pre-form is clamped against a
chuck by the machi ne tai lstock and
rotated by the drive motor (Fig. 3). The
spi nni ng roller, on a two-axi s com-
pound slide, is programmed to make a
series of sweeping motions, progres-
sively forming the metal onto the chuck.
Auxiliary slides and/or tool changers
carry out finishing operations such as
profiling, machining, edge trimming,
curling, beading and flanging.
Reducing (Necking).Often referred
to as spi nni ng on ai r because i t
requi res no i nternal support, thi s
process involves re-entrant shapes where
form and finish are secondary (see Fig.
4). For hi gher part quali ty or when
Fig. 5 With shear forming, conical, concave and convex parts are produced in a single pass.
The diameter of the open end of the cone corresponds to the initial diameter of the disc blank,
and deliberate wall thinning takes place as a direct function of the angle of the cone. This
process features extremely short cycle times.
Fig. 4 Reducing, or necking, is a process often referred to as spinning on air because most of the time it requires no
internal support. I n the case of the diagram at the top left, the preform is clamped externally in a retaining chuck.
Metal Spinning
3 2 METALFORMI NG / SEPTEMBER 2 0 0 2 www.metal formi ngmagazi ne.com
using internal segmented tooling, the
process can employ an eccentrically
mounted internal roller.
Shear forming. I n thi s metal -
forming variant, metal is volumetri-
cally displaced in an axial plane (Fig.
5). In a single pass, conical, concave
and convex parts are produced where-
by the diameter of the open end of
the cone corresponds to the initial
di ameter of the di sc bl ank. Thi s
process features extremely short cycle
times (Fig. 6). Deliberate wall thinning
occurs as a direct function of the angle
of the cone. The reduction in wall thick-
ness follows the formula:
S1 = So x sine
where
S1 = wall thickness of finished part
So = blank thickness
= shear angle (see Fig. 7).
Shear forming is ideal for conical,
concave and convex hollow parts with
symmetri cal contours wi thi n shear
angles from 12 to 80 deg.
Shear forming offers a remarkable
increase in part strength due to cold
working. During forming the material
displaces axially. Knowledge of the plas-
tic behavior, therefore, is an elemen-
tary requi rement i n shear formi ng.
Material strength resulting from plastic
deformation often is seen as a design
improvement. For example, when shear
forming a part with a 30-deg. angle,
cold-work hardening is responsible for
strengthening 16-gauge mild steel mate-
ri al the same structural strength of
11-gauge mild steel. In this example,
about 50 percent of material can be
saved in the shear-formed cone area.
Besides such material savings, shear-
formed parts can be produced within
rapid cycle times and with ideal surface
finishes. Designers early on should
determine if a part will be produced
through multi-pass spinning or shear
forming.
Flexible Production
and Rapid Setup Times
Over the past three decades, spin-
ning, with its use of playback/CNC
spinning machines, has become high-
ly competitive with pressing and deep
drawi ng. Advantages of spi nni ng
include flexible production, relatively
low tooling costs, rapid and economical
adjustments to tooling and programs,
and short set-up times. By selecting
from a range of auxi l i ar y machi ne
attachments, the latest-generation spin-
ning machine becomes a versatile spin-
ning center.
Modern machi nes are si mpl e to
operate and can carry out, in a single
cycle, multi ple operati ons i ncludi ng
planishing, profiling, curling, beading,
seaming, trimming and machining.
When desi gni ng new producti on
parts, keep in mind the different spin-
ning methods, especially shear forming,
which offers cold-work-hardening advan-
tages, material savings, ideal surface fin-
ishes and rapid cycle times. MF
P
P'
So
S
1
So
P' P
So
So
S
1
P P'
So
So
P'
P
Fig. 7 I n shear forming, the reduction in wall thickness follows the following
formula: S1 = So x sine ; where S1 = wall thickness of finished part,
So = blank thickness and = shear angle. P and P show how the material shifts
in the process. Shear forming is ideal for conical, concave and convex hollow
parts with symmetrical contours within shear angles from 1 2 to 8 0 deg.
Fig. 6 This 1 5 -in. -dia. 9 -in. -deep
copper cone was produced, via shear
forming, in 4 8 sec. from a flat blank.
Forming of the cylindrical area and the
beading operation occurred in the
same cycle. Multi-pass spinning this
part would require a cycle time of 2 min.
Metal Spinning
3 4 METALFORMI NG / SEPTEMBER 2 0 0 2 www.metal formi ngmagazi ne.com