Low Volume & Prototype Metal Spinning
One part or five hundred, without a die bill. The mandrel costs a fraction of a die set, which is why spinning is the cheapest route to a first real sample.
Part of our metal spinning service: spinning needs no die, so one-off and prototype work runs on the same line as series production.
Why Low Volume Is Spinning's Home Ground
At low volume, tooling is the whole argument. A deep-draw die for a 300 mm part can cost more than the first two years of parts; a spinning mandrel for the same part is a single turned piece of steel that we can usually cut in under a week. That is why a 50-piece order is normal in spinning and painful in stamping.
The second argument is change. A prototype is a hypothesis, and hypotheses change. Re-machining a mandrel after a design tweak takes days and costs little; modifying a die takes weeks and costs a lot. For anything still in development, that flexibility is worth more than the unit price difference.
| Order size | What to expect |
|---|---|
| 1–5 pcs | Sample or engineering validation. Hand-finished, dimensional report included. No tooling charge beyond the mandrel. |
| 10–50 pcs | Pilot production or trade-show stock. CNC spinning with the same setup as the sample, so dimensions repeat. |
| 100–500 pcs | Small-series production, typically the range where spinning still beats stamping outright. |
| 500–5,000 pcs | Volume where the comparison becomes part-specific — we quote against your annual call-off, not a single order. |
| Above 5,000 pcs | We will tell you honestly if a die would serve you better, and quote that route through our toolroom partner. |
Drawing to Part in Under Two Weeks
- Day 0 — you send a drawing or STEP file, alloy, thickness, finish and quantity
- Day 1–2 — feasibility review and quotation; we flag anything that will not form cleanly
- Day 3–7 — mandrel turned, blank cut, first article spun and trimmed
- Day 8–10 — finishing (polish, anodize, passivation) and dimensional report
- Day 10–12 — express shipment by air, or consolidated with your next sea freight
Prototype parts are often finished by hand at the bench rather than on a production line. That is normal and does not affect the geometry — but if the prototype must match production surface exactly, say so and we will run it through the same finishing batch.
The Five Things That Get You a Fast Quote
- A drawing with tolerances, or a STEP/IGES file plus a note on which faces are critical
- Material and thickness — or the service condition, and we will recommend one
- Quantity now, and expected annual volume — this decides mandrel design and price break
- Finish — as-spun, polished, anodized, powder coated, passivated
- Target date and destination — air versus sea changes the packing and the schedule
If you only have a photo of a competitor's part and a caliper, send that. We model it, send the model back for confirmation, and spin from the confirmed geometry — this is how a good number of our lighting and kitchenware customers started.
Small Orders, Same Paperwork
A 20-piece order gets the same document pack as a 20,000-piece one, because the customer's own quality system does not care about our order size.
- NDA signed before drawings are shared
- Material certificate traceable to heat number
- Dimensional report against the drawing's critical features
- Finish thickness and surface photos before packing
- Your tooling stays yours — stored for your orders only, never used for other customers
Payment terms for first orders are typically 30% deposit and balance against the shipping documents; for repeat customers we work on 30-day terms after the third shipment.
Questions Buyers Ask Us
Is there a minimum order quantity?
How much does the tooling cost for a prototype?
Can you match the finish of an existing product?
Do you support design changes between prototype and production?
Can small orders ship by air?
Related Capabilities
More guides: Stainless Steel Metal Spinning · Aluminium Spinning Reflectors · Spun Tank Heads & Dished Ends · Metal Spinning vs Stamping · CNC Machined Aluminium Enclosures · Spinning Design Guide · Spun Cones & Funnels · Spinning for Lighting · Roof Vent Caps · Spun Drain Pans & Ice Tubs
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