Driving efficiency through innovation: Cooperation with Church Metal Spinning

In today’s fast‑paced manufacturing landscape, the demand for precision, efficiency, and flexibility in metal fabrication is at an all time high. At Weil Technology, we take pride in partnering with companies seeking to modernize their operations.

One such partner is Church Metal Spinning, a family‑owned contract manufacturer based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They’re known for their capabilities in metal spinning, laser cutting, and welding. Church Metal has served a wide customer base for decades. Since 2024, they have been a valued customer and partner of Weil Technology.

Get to know more in the video

Marc Verhein, President and Mark Huven, Production Manager at Church Metal Spinning Co. talk about their experiences with Flexmaster, the cooperation with Weil Technology and why it was time for a change.

Time for a Change

Church Metal began rolling and welding cylinders in the early 2000s. As order volumes increased, the company invested in a decoiler and automatic TIG welding machine in 2007, later adding two more TIG machines. Despite consistent quality, the TIG welding process was labor-intensive. To increase capacity, the company sought automation, ultimately opting for laser technology and choosing Weil Technology as its pioneer. Ultimately, Church Metal acquired the Flexmaster to optimize costs and capacity.

After installing the Flexmaster, Church Metal saw immediate, substantial improvements with both labor and cycle time

Church Metal Spinning reports a 60 % reduction in cylinder production time compared to their former TIG process. More importantly, the work itself became dramatically less strenuous. “The Flexmaster reduced not just weld time, but the elbow grease” they said. “Employees are now excited to run the machine instead of dreading high‑volume orders.”

This is what Flexmaster optimizes in Church Metal's manufacturing process:
+ No more planishing: Laser welds produced on the Flexmaster match the parent material thickness, eliminating the need for downstream smoothing.
+ Superior roundness: Weil’s unique sling/belt system stabilizes the cylinder throughout the weld, resulting in rounder parts than was previously achieved.
+ Better forming performance: The thinner, cleaner weld seam has shortened spin forming times and reduced failure rates.

Church Metal had invested in a new fiber laser three years prior, producing high‑quality blanks that pair perfectly with the Flexmaster. Finally, having a more round cylinder – more true to model – makes 3D laser cutting to trim or cut features in finished formed parts more closely match the designed part.

Flexmaster

The innovative flexible production line for the manufacturing of thin-walled, high-quality tubes. It's possible with this system to produce up to 150 tubes per hour with material thicknesses ranging from 0.4 – 2.0 mm.