When My Father and Uncle Revolutionized Metal Spinning in the 1970s
In 1978, while most manufacturers were just beginning to explore automation, my father Don and Uncle Gene were already solving one of metal spinning's biggest challenges: capturing the artistry of a master craftsman and reproducing it at the touch of a button.
The Problem They Set Out to Solve
The metal spinning industry in the 1970s faced a critical dilemma. Skilled spinning lathe operators were becoming increasingly scarce. Training a new operator to develop the right "feel" for spinning a flat metal blank into a finished part took years of apprenticeship. Meanwhile, companies needed to boost productivity while maintaining the consistency that only experienced hands could provide.
The traditional solution was expensive, sophisticated CNC equipment. But my father and uncle saw an opportunity for something more accessible—a retrofit system that could be added to existing metal spinning lathes.
The Master's Touch: A Revolutionary Concept
The system they developed, called T-M-T (The Master's Touch), was elegantly simple in concept but sophisticated in execution. Here's how it worked:
Typical parts produced with T-M-T system: 12 in. by 19.75 in. dia cone (top right) shearformed from 0.119 in. steel, was programmed in 20 min. Production time to spin and trim is 5.5 min. The 3 in. by 19 in. dia part (center left) was programmed in 15 min. Production time: 3.5 min.
The Recording Phase
A skilled operator would use joysticks mounted on a remote control panel to guide the forming roller through the spinning process. One joystick controlled X-axis motion, the other Z-axis motion. As the operator worked, the system recorded every movement through hydraulic stepper motors onto a 7-track magnetic tape using a standard reel-to-reel tape deck.
The genius was in the approach: rather than programming abstract coordinates, the system literally "learned" from watching a master craftsman work.
The Playback Phase
Once recorded, the tape could replay those exact motions automatically, duplicating the part with remarkable consistency. The system could even play back at speeds up to three times faster than the original recording, dramatically increasing production rates.
The Technical Innovation
What made T-M-T remarkable for its time:
- Microprocessor-based electronics with vacuum tube circuitry
- Custom printed circuit boards designed specifically for the application
- Dual-mode operation: Record and Playback
- Hydraulic stepper motor control with audio feedback through the tape
- Safety limits that would stop operations if pressure exceeded safe parameters
- Retrofit capability for existing lathes with X-Z cross slides
The system could generate 40,000-100,000 pounds of thrust, with potential for even more with larger motors and gearboxes.
Portable remote control unit is moved to convenient location near spinning lathe. Church Metal Spinning's Gene Verhein demonstrates use of joysticks to direct forming roller during programming of part.
Real-World Results
According to a 1978 article in Modern Metals, the system delivered impressive performance:
- 30% reduction in labor costs
- Production time examples: A 12-inch diameter cone was programmed in 20 minutes with a spin-and-trim time of just 5.5 minutes; a 3-inch diameter part took 15 minutes to program and 3.5 minutes to produce
- Exact part-to-part uniformity, eliminating the variability inherent in manual production
- Programming time: 15-25 minutes, with the ability to check dimensions on close-tolerance parts
Living with the Legacy
When I joined Church Metal Spinning in 1997, we were still operating several of the original T-M-T machines from the 1970s, along with some newer versions that had transitioned to electric motors.
Working with these machines was both inspiring and challenging. The custom circuitry, full-size reel-to-reel tape decks, and yes, those vacuum tubes, were technological marvels in their day. But as the decades passed, maintenance became increasingly difficult. Finding replacement parts for 1970s-era electronics isn't easy, and the expertise to service such unique systems was disappearing along with the generation that built them.
We gradually phased out the T-M-T systems, but not before they had produced hundreds of thousands of parts and trained a generation of operators.
What We Learned
Being at the forefront of metal spinning automation in the 1970s gave our company perspectives that still shape how we operate today:
1. The Value of Capturing Expertise The T-M-T system's fundamental insight—that you could capture a craftsman's knowledge and replicate it—remains central to modern automation. Today's CNC systems are far more sophisticated, but they're solving the same essential problem.
2. The Importance of Maintainability As innovative as the T-M-T system was, its custom components created long-term maintenance challenges. Modern systems benefit from standardized components, available technical support, and documented service procedures.
3. Focus on Production, Not Just Technology While we handle most of our machine maintenance in-house, our primary focus has always been producing parts for customers—to specification, on time, with continuous process improvement. The technology serves the production goal, not the other way around.
From Then to Now
Today's metal spinning automation offers advantages the 1970s engineers could only dream of:
- Fully integrated programming with CAD/CAM capability
- Robust, reliable electronics with minimal maintenance
- Available service experts and support networks
- Precision repeatability measured in thousandths of an inch
- Data collection and analysis for continuous improvement
Yet the core principle remains the same: combining the knowledge of skilled craftspeople with the consistency and efficiency of automation.
The Spirit of Innovation Continues
Looking back at what my father and uncle accomplished in the 1970s fills me with pride. They didn't wait for the perfect solution to be handed to them—they built it themselves with the technology available at the time. That spirit of innovation, of finding better ways to serve customers and improve processes, remains alive at Church Metal Spinning today.
The reel-to-reel tape decks and vacuum tubes are gone, replaced by servo motors and programmable controllers. But the fundamental commitment—delivering precision metal spun parts consistently, efficiently, and on time—endures.
Have questions about metal spinning automation or capabilities? Whether you need short-run prototypes or high-volume production, we'd love to discuss how our decades of automation experience can serve your needs.
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