The Sendenhorst-based mechanical engineering company WF Maschinenbau and Blechformtechnik GmbH & Co. KG has developed and built a spinning machine that exceeds all previously realised forming forces of metal forming machines many times over. Vertical spinning machine The fact that the machine manufacturer's VUD (Vertical Universal Spinning Machine) series is a very special one is demonstrated by its renowned customers. Various research companies, from the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg to the AFRC (Advanced Forming Research Center, UK) and the NASA Langley Research Center LaRC, USA, learn, develop and conduct research on the metal forming machines from the North Rhine-Westphalian company. What they all have in common is that they have mastered all non-cutting metal forming technologies and are therefore unique on the market. They have mastered

• Metal spinning
• Forward and backward flow-forming
• drawing-in
• profiling
• Projecting
• Hub forming

All machines have a vertical design, more than one forming roller, controllable angles of attack of the forming forces and a high-torque main spindle. Combined with a high tailstock pressure force, power reserves can be generated for particularly heavy workpieces. All VUDs - like all machines from the Sendenhorst-based company without exception - are built at the headquarters with the highest level of in-house production and are therefore reliable forming machines "Made in Germany". Individuality and innovation Although a large number of VUDs have already been built, no two VUDs are the same. The R&D team at WF Maschinenbau develops every single machine individually for its customers. Patented swivel roller holders, thermal cameras, additional tailstock, fully automatic loading and unloading robots for mass production, adapted guide pillars, new intermediate traverses, gas density - every requirement has been met to date. The most recent enquiry from Glenn Metalcraft, Inc (GMI), USA, was for a machine that could form workpieces with a thickness of 32 mm and a diameter of 1,500 mm and be used as universally as possible for both test series and 2-shift operation for series production. No existing machine on the world market had sufficient power and flexibility to meet these challenges. Even though Sendenhorst is used to building large, powerful and flexible machines, the machine in question presented a particular challenge. "From development and design, to testing in the R&D centre, to assembly in our halls and transport to the customer - every single step of the process involved unprecedented special features," explains Christian Malkemper, CEO of WF Maschinenbau. "The size of the machine, the high degree of innovation, a new customer and the high investment volume make the entire project a very special one," adds Malkemper. Customer proximity Glenn Metalcraft is the leading service provider in the forming industry in the USA. "We were one of the first companies in the US to invest in CNC spinning technology and we continue to lead the industry in high quality, tight tolerance, high volume metal spinning," explains President Dan Patnode. With 12 large spinning machines, the Princeton, Minnesota-based company is the largest contract spinner in the United States. Nevertheless, orders had to be turned down more and more frequently as they could no longer be realised with the existing machines. "We spent a long time looking for a suitable provider and WF Maschinenbau finally convinced us. The team in Sendenhorst realised all our wishes perfectly!" adds CEO Joe Glenn. Although the requirements profile became increasingly demanding over the course of the collaboration, the R&D team at WF Maschinenbau developed an innovative machine concept with unprecedented forming forces and exceptional stability in the machine body. The highly customised machine was finally delivered to the customer at the end of 2023. "This is exactly what we decided on many years ago, and it is still our top priority: customisation!" explains Malkemper. Experience shows that "off-the-shelf" machines do not make customers happy, he explains. "You have to listen, listen and listen, check for feasibility and implement! Then you can make customers in our industry happy," adds Malkemper. WF Maschinenbau can rely on a seven-person R&D team, its own R&D centre and its own measuring laboratory for implementation. "The collaboration with WF Maschinenbau was extremely constructive right from the start, every single team member put their heart and soul into the project - we all had one big goal: to realise the most powerful spinning machine in the world," adds CEO Joe Glenn. Glenn is delighted that he will now be able to respond optimally to changing customer requirements and further expand his market leadership by successfully realising future orders for large forming projects. The machine The machine has now been put into operation at GMI. It can process workpieces of an unimaginable 1500 mm diameter and 32 mm thickness with two forming supports and six forming rollers. It also has two automatically switching spindle gear stages and two integrated turning steel holders. The coolant pump capacity is 1,800 litres/min.