We've received word that we will be receiving new stock on all our push pogo pins, but they will not be available for order until October 8 or 9th. The order link will be restored when the inventory arrives.
We've been researching a manufacturer for a shiny new product we are working on (shhh, don't tell anyone and stay tuned for the reveal!). What we have been looking for is a metal spinner. Metal spinning, also known as spin forming, spinning, or metal turning most commonly, is a metalworking process by which a disc of metal is rotated at high speed and formed into an axially symmetric part. Spinning can be performed by hand or by CNC lathe.
After doing lots and lots (and some more!) of internet browsing we came across Sieg’s Manufacturing (pronounced /seɪdʒ/). It is a family-operated shop that has been in business for more than 40 years and is located in Langley, British Columbia. It is one of only a few companies on the west coast who spin metal, serving most of Western Canada and the north western quadrant of USA. Being the closest manufacturer to us other than a random Hutterite colony in the middle of nowhere, it was worth a flight to Vancouver to check them out. So our emissary hopped on a plane for a day trip and brought back some stories.
Sieg's Manufacturing is a pretty slick operation that pumps through a TON of different metal spun products. In the picture below we can see a portion of tools these wizards use to form and contour the metal disc into the desired shape. Tools can be machined out of wood or steel and are used to act as the "die" that the metal is spun around to form the final product. While a wood tool is cheaper to machine, a steel tool is the standard for large volume production runs where you need to produce more than 600-700 units. The more you use the tool, the more its sharp edges and ridged shape begin to dull.
The process of metal spinning is actually quite interesting. Sheet metal of the preferred gauge is cut down to manageable squares and again into circular blanks to be used on the lathe. The blank is then brought over to the hydraulic punch to create the necessary holes required by the design, such as mounting holes, viewports, or drainage holes. Depending on the quantity to be produced, the punched blank is mounted to a CNC or hand operated lathe and the user/machine bends the metal around the tool until the blank has reached the desired shape.
The finished product can be removed from the machine with a default surface finish or can be cleaned up with a sexy brushed surface finish which gives it a nice textured look. The above image shows a stack of finished parts used for smoke stack covers on the left, and the unmolded blanks sitting directly to the right of them.
All in all, our little field trip was a success, giving us more insight into how parts of our super secret product will be manufactured for your eventual enjoyment!
We've received word that we will be receiving new stock on all our push pogo pins, but they will not be available for order until October 8 or 9th. The order link will be restored when the inventory arrives.
Other than the new goodies, we have one more thing to announce: Solarbotics, as an official MakeFashion partner, has been supporting local and international designers by consulting, providing materials, tech support and snacks. One of the projects we have been working at is Pumping Fashion Lit (by Dee Fontans and Eric Willis). It is featured […]
I created this choker as a project to demonstrate the new MicroNova APA102-2020 LED strips. Photo by Yeti, edited by Batgirl These addressable LEDs are extremely small, less than 1/4 the size of a standard 5050 LED. This project was built using engineering sample standard MicroNova 99 LED / meter strips . The MicroNova strips we […]
We've been working hard to bring you a conundrum* of new protoboards and other handy items to go with them (*conundrum - a collective noun used to describe massive amounts of protoboards inhabiting our shelves). This issue of Friday new products features roughly half of the whole selection we offer, which can cover pretty much […]
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Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.