Artec Engineering Precision Metal Spinners produces a wide range of sized hemispheres , which are used in a variety of industries from manufacturing to lighting.
The size of hemisphere that we can manufacture range from 30mm dia. up to 1200mm dia. and are most commonly produced in mild steel, aluminium and stainless steel.
We recently received an enquiry from a customer, who required some 350mm dia. hemispheres, which would be welded together to form a sphere and mirror polished.
After looking through our extensive hemisphere tooling stock, we found a suitable hemisphere tool that would be as close to the required dimensions.
Having discussed what we could offer our customer, they wanted to proceed with a sample hemisphere before proceeding with the complete batch.
Ordering a sample before committing to manufacturing a larger quantity is quite common practice and is something we welcome with all customers.
By making a sample, we can advise our customers of any changes we would recommend in the manufacturing process and this also gives the customer the opportunity to conduct their own inspection of the part and ensure the part they are receiving meets their requirements and expectations.
Step 1 – Guillotine / Circling / Drilling
The first stage of the manufacturing process was to guillotine and circle shear a 475mm dia. blank in 5.0mm st.st EN1.4307 (304L) 2B.
A sheet metal operator will guillotine the sheet material to create a square, which is slightly larger than the required blank.
They then centralise the square on the circle shear, which clamps the material in place.
The square then rotates, as a blade follows a path to remove the excess material leaving a round blank.
An 8mm ctr. hole is then drilled, so the blank can be located onto the spinning lathe.
Step 2 – Annealing
Once the blank has been cut, the material is then sent off to one of our sub-contractors to be annealed.
The annealing process involves heating the material under extreme temperatures for a specific time frame before it is left to cool.
Due to the form of the spinning, the material has to be annealed to allow the material to stretch during the spinning process without cracking.
The material becomes more malleable and requires less force to be applied whilst spinning.
Step 3 – Metal Spinning
The next stage in the manufacturing process is to calibrate the hemisphere tool on the hydraulic spinning lathe.
This process is critical to ensure that the tool is calibrated correctly and the metal spinning operative will perform any visual inspections and conduct a test run to check parts are moving correctly.
Due to this hemisphere being produced in 5.0mm st.st, this spinning is best produced on our hydraulic spinning lathe.
This spinning lathe applies pressure through rollers, which are controlled by our experienced spinning operative.
As you can see from the video, the hydraulic spinning lathe confidently applies pressure to the material to form the hemisphere.
Step 4 – Welding
After the part has been spun, this leaves an 8mm ctr. hole in the middle of the spinning.
After speaking with the customer, they required the centre hole to be welded up.
Our expert welding operative, uses filler rod to fill the hole.
Step 5 – Mirror Polishing
The final stage of the manufacturing process is to mirror polish the outside of the spinning.
This process is all completed in house by one of our expert metal spinners.
Our expert metal finisher will gradually go through grades of polishing compound and mops to get the mirror polish finish.
Get in touch
If you have a sample or high volume batch work that you are looking to have manufactured, then please get in touch today and see how Artec Engineering Precision Metal Spinners can assist you.
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