At Helander, our metal spinning and sheet hydroforming processes produce a range of durable 
and high-quality metal parts. Tank heads especially are a perfect fit for our metal forming processes. We produce our tank heads in a number of dimensions and shapes, depending on each client’s specific needs. This blog will discuss how Helander makes tank heads and the advantages of using custom-made options instead of choosing stock tank heads.
Customizing Tank Heads: Metal Spinning and Sheet Hydroforming
Metal spinning and hydroforming are both efficient, fast, and precise processes—all of which are qualities that produce top-of-the-line tank heads.
Metal Spinning
Metal spinning is a metalworking process that creates high-performance, axially symmetrical parts. The process transforms a metal disc or tube by rotating it and forming it to a mandrel, clamping it to a lathe, and producing a round shape. Some of the advantages of metal spinning include:
- Lower costs to alternative forming methods
- Shorter lead times, with the components available within weeks instead of months
- Maximum design flexibility, as they can easily be changed to work with evolving product designs
- Seamless, high-quality construction that produces durable and smooth objects without seams or welds
Metals that are compatible with metal spinning include:
Hydroforming
Hydroforming is a fast and efficient process that produces structurally strong components with minimal material waste. It is a reasonably priced technique that is the preferred method for shaping intricate components from ductile metals. The advantages of hydroforming include:
- Reduced overall time and costs of designing and creating the mold due to the use of a single form surface tool
- Easy access to resources, as the force that shapes the steel uses water, which is widely available and cost-effective
- Fast changes to the design of the mold, such as a few days, since the process requires just the single tooling
Compatible metals for hydroforming include:
- Steel
- Stainless steel
- Copper
- Brass
- Aluminum
At Helander, we implement advanced sheet hydroforming techniques and tools to produce tank heads that require a diameter of up to 20” with a depth of up to 10”. Our team produces tank heads of up to 100” in diameter for larger projects. These tank heads have a metal thickness of 2” for aluminum, 0.375” for steel, and 0.250” for stainless steel. We can produce sturdy and durable tank heads in many shapes, including elliptical, curved, and circular.
Custom vs. Stock Tank Heads
You can buy stock, off-the-shelf tank heads in bulk, but many businesses have a specific and custom design and model in mind which proposes a need for custom, specialty tank heads. The most notable advantage of custom tank heads is the certainty that it will fit. Using exact measurements for the tank head, there is a perfect fit every time, which decreases the back-and-forth time and energy that is spent acquiring stock tank heads.
At Helander, we offer custom tank head production per customer design and specification. That being said, we do not keep stock of tank heads because our tank heads are all custom made.
Contact Us for Custom Tank Heads
Helander has more than 80 years of experience in producing custom metal parts, and we provide our metal forming services to everyone from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. We ensure customer satisfaction through quality, on-time delivery, customer service, and ethical behavior, and we comply with all customer and regulatory requirements.
We are a custom manufacturer of tank heads with certifications, including ISO 9001:2015, AS9100 Rev. D, and ASME Section 8, Div. 1. We are proud to produce custom tank heads that meet the highest industry standards and exceed our customers’ expectations. To learn more about the custom tank heads and capabilities at Helander, contact us today.