How does flow forming differ from metal spinning?
The Floturn (flow forming) process is a method of rotary metal forming which produces parts which are round in cross section, but which may be straight-sided cones, contoured cones or cylindrical shaped parts. In a sense, the Floturn process utilizes a three-dimensional variation of the basic rolling process that is used in a steel mill to produce flat sheet, starting with a thick slab. Floturning (flow forming) is very similar to conventional metal spinning. It must be understood that there is a very basic difference between metal spinning and Floturning. Conventional metal spinning utilizes a relatively thin piece of material and produces the shape of the finished part from the diameter of the starting blank. Floturning produces a finished shape by working from the thickness of the starting blank, creating a part considerably thinner than the starting blank. Figure 1 shows a rough comparison between metal spinning a conical part and Floturning a conical part. Figure 2 shows the compa
