Metal Spinning is defined as the process by which a metal disc or tube is rotated and formed over a pattern into an axially symmetric finished part.  Oftentimes metal spinning is loosely compared to  forming pottery. . . but on a lathe.

When E.H. Schwab was established in 1929, all metal spinning was performed manually on wooden tools machined in-house.  Spinning lathes were essentially modified machine lathes and forming tools were anchored underneath a workman's arm.  The raw material would then be gently pushed back and forth until it took the shape of the wood pattern. 


While the basic principals remain unchanged, the practice of metal spinning, and more generally metal forming, has evolved significantly; CAD files are downloaded from customer portals, raw material is cut using fiber laser technology and tooling is machined on CNC lathes programmed with MasterCAM.  The spun parts themselves are formed on sophisticated programmable CNC/PNC spinning lathes manufactured in Europe using hydraulic pressure or powerful electric drives.



Whether it's manually spun prototypes for development or high volume production runs requiring CNC capabilities, metal spinning remains at the core of what we do.  Do you have a requirement for metal spinning?  Let's talk!