Metal Spinning has a long history that spans back to ancient Egypt and has progressed through the years to today’s more advanced methods of forming metal via spinning it. Today, the modern metal spinning process takes place on rigid lathes that incorporate high velocity spindles that shape the metal. These spindles are operated either manually or via advanced computer controls.
Metal Spinning is a process by which a disc or tube of ductile metal is rotated on a spindle and formed into an axially symmetric part. Through the use of heavy forces and high speeds, the metal will deform and “flow” to form the desired shape around a mandrel, a kind of mold that is shaped to the interior geometry of the planned part. This process allows metal to deform evenly, without any wrinkling or warping, to create a smooth, even, and seamless surface. The processes’ heavy forces also realign and strengthen the grain structure, significantly increasing the tensile properties and fatigue resistance of the base material.
The options available in metal machining can seem to be different things at different times. Sometimes, the vast range of methods and processes can seem overwhelming and more trouble than they’re worth. More often, though, with the right knowledge and willingness to research, great solutions can come from unexpected places. Such is the case with the relationship between metal stamping and metal spinning. At first glance, they seem only tangentially related, each with their own benefits and qualities, but generally exclusive of each other. A closer look, though, shows that metal spinning can provide great efficiencies in cost and time to metal stamping shops and their customers.
This blog has showcased our custom tank heads before, exhibiting our dedication to quality above all else in fulfilling your custom product orders. Today we’re going to be talking about them again, as a lens through which to look at one of our other manufacturing processes: hydroforming. While metal spinning is our core business and the process we use whenever we determine it to be the best match, hydroforming is ideal for custom tank head manufacturing thanks to its ability to combine product strength, concave form, and light weight.
There are many steps on the path to energy independence, but one major one is the continued push of coal mining in the United States. Coal has been, and will remain for quite some time, a major domestic source of fuel. With increases in mining sites and activity comes the need for the equipment to facilitate processes from extraction to refinement to simply transport of workers, equipment, and materials. This is where Caterpillar, John Deere, and Helander come in. The machinery that these top manufacturers of industrial duty, powerful equipment produce often features components manufactured by Helander.
At Helander, nothing makes us happier than doing great work that saves our customers money. Recently we’ve discovered a new production niche that has been bringing us tons of new and repeat customers. It seems that metal stamping facilities often face a dilemma. One of their clients might come to them requesting a short run or prototype of a new project. For the metal stamper this can be a giant headache, because it is often cost-prohibitive for them set all their machinery up to do small jobs. If they take the risk and don’t get the big project, they are out time and a lot of money. The solution? Going to Helander for metal spinning and hydroforming services that you can’t get elsewhere.
Custom fabrication is a way of life at Helander. We’re all about making the exact pieces that our customers need, rather than a whole catalog of generic one-size-(never)-fits-all items. Our custom tank heads are a perfect example of this commitment to all that is custom. A tank head is the cover that you see on everything from milk and gas trucks to small water filtration vessels. It’s what keeps the liquid in the tank; the last line of defense, if you will. With such a ubiquitous product, there are lots of companies out there who make tank heads. You can buy them off the shelf by the truckful, but there is a major difference between our tank heads and theirs.
It’s recommended that you drink at least eight glasses of water per day. What you may not know, though, is how you drink it is as important as how much you drink. If you’re drinking out of plastic bottles, you might want to think again. 17 million barrels of oil are used each year to make plastic water bottles, and in 2008, 189,000,000 plastic bottles were recovered from highways and parks. Furthermore, chemicals such as BPA and antimony, which have been used in plastic bottles, can be dangerous, especially to children and pregnant women.
When you’re enjoying your music, the sounds of a machine shop are likely the furthest thing from your mind (unless it’s mid-career Lou Reed). Whatever your taste: jazz, classic rock, alternative – the melodies that you hear are a far cry from the dissonance of a shop floor. But there’s more than meets the eye—or the ear—when it comes to music and instruments, and behind the best music is state-of-the-art craftsmanship and technology.
