Flow forming is another way to spin metal and type of cold working process. This process is done at or near room temperature and requires a highly skilled metal spinning technician to carry out the work. The cold metalworking process changes the mechanical properties of the metal. As a result, the metal’s strength is similar to forged metal. The main difference between flow forming and standard metal spinning is the blank, a preformed metal disc. The finished part produced with traditional metal spinning is the same diameter of the original blank. The finished shape in flow forming is thinner than the blank with which you started. The starting blank can have a hole through it or it is left in one piece, is spun on a lathe. Pressure is applied by rollers that force the blank to take the mandrel’s shape.

Metals that can be spun include stainless steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, brass and titanium. They can be used in many industries including aerospace, automotive, chemical, petrochemical, nuclear and more. With the flow forming process there is less need for welding, tighter design tolerances and shorter length of stock shapes. It can be used along with flattening, bending, machining and swaging and the end product is smooth and complex without chipping or deforming.

A major benefit of flow forming is its ability to allow manufacturers to complete very complex design specifications and a wide range of dimensional flexibility. Flow forming allows for wall thickness variability of products. Metal spun products are hollow and tubular or rotationally symmetric.

Flow forming can be an energy saving process over other processes such as drawing or ironing because the roller exerts localized pressure and the metal is formed incrementally. These savings are often times not recognized because of the difficulties in predicting roller path deformation and if proper cooling techniques are not applied.