Spin Extrusion - A New Partial Forming Technology based on 7 NC-Axes Machining

Hollow shape component approaches, applied to shafts and similar workpieces, represent a major potential for ground-breaking innovations in lightweight engineering and safety designs. Among suitable forming technologies, spin extrusion is a pioneering and particularly flexible hollow-shaping technique. All outside form elements, straight or stepped cylinders, cones or spherical rotation elements emerge just from the kinematics of tools. The inside hollow shapes, as e.g. circular cross-sections, shaft to collar connections such as spherical triangles, polygons, splines or dovetail forms are manufactured with a shaping mandrel. Spin extrusion can be applied first and foremost at dimensions that are unattainable with other techniques. The application includes hollow shafts, thick-walled cups and semi-finished tubular products that are not to be found in off-the-shelf cross-sections. In these cases the possibility for using of massive bars is connected with very high price advantages. Furthermore material-saving machining is attracting special attention for high-grade materials.The paper characterizes substantial steps of process analysis and the appliance of a new, derived from the bound method, numerical simulation method for spin extrusion process. Holistic process analysis is the prime factor for process capability. The specific application of the developed special methods of simulation, the accumulation of process data and the integrating into the Computer numerical control of spin extrusion machine is a precondition guaranteeing high-quality assurance.