As explained in The Fabricator’s article “Metal Spinning Versus Flow Forming”, both metal spinning and flow forming are advanced manufacturing techniques used to create axisymmetric components for industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical, and defense. While they share similarities, they serve different applications and have distinct advantages.
What Is Metal Spinning?
Metal spinning transforms flat disk blanks—or occasionally deep-drawn preforms—into hollow, axisymmetric components using a rotating mandrel and forming rollers. The process, originally a handcraft dating back to 10th-century China, is now highly automated through CNC metal spinning machines.
There are three primary variations of metal spinning:
- Multipass Spinning – A roller makes multiple passes over the workpiece to shape it gradually.
- Shear Forming – Reduces wall thickness significantly in a single pass for lightweight, high-strength parts.
- Necking-In (Reducing) – Used for forming gas bottles and similar shapes without internal mandrel support.
What Is Flow Forming?
Flow forming is a specialized form of metal spinning that starts with hollow tubes or pre-machined blanks instead of flat disks. Using multiple rollers (typically three or more), the material is stretched axially, reducing wall thickness while maintaining precision.
Flow forming offers several advantages:
- Highly Uniform Thickness – CNC-controlled rollers ensure consistent wall thickness across the entire workpiece.
- Increased Strength – The cold working process improves grain structure and tensile strength.
- Precision Manufacturing – Ideal for nuclear, oil & gas, medical, and defense applications requiring tight tolerances.
While metal spinning is more versatile for producing components with multiple diameters and complex geometries, flow forming excels at creating precise, thin-walled cylindrical parts with superior strength.
For manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, and industrial sectors, selecting the right process depends on factors such as material type, final part geometry, strength requirements, and production volume.
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Article with all rights reserved, courtesy of The Fabricator.