How Specialty Springs Are Made
Way back in September, we talked about how our custom springs are made. Truth be told, that’s how pretty much all springs are made. We just make most of our springs to custom specifications for our very special clients. Well, that and we also want Google to help you find us, so that’s just how we roll. (See? Total honesty.)
All that said, within the typical spring manufacturing process, there are a few variations.
Variations in Custom Spring Manufacturing!
The manufacturing process for metal springs may change depending on the type of spring (and its size and function) being created.
Some steel springs are made with coils, and some aren’t! The type of coil and the spring’s intended use determines the manufacturing processes involved. (Springs without coils are probably actually wire forms.)
Springs with coils have two AKAs: They’re also known as coil or helical springs. So think of a spring in your mind’s eye. Yup. That’s a coiled spring that goes through the spring winding process in one of our wire coiling or wire forming machines.
However, there are a few subsets of coil springs and that’s what we’ll be looking at today:
Extension springs are coiled springs with coiled rows that touch each other. As force is applied to stretch the spring, the gap between the coils widens. As the gap widens, the spring provides a return force against the stretching force. Extension springs are usually manufactured with a wire coiling machine but occasionally a wire forming machine enters the picture. When you see loops and hooks at the end of a spring? That’s the handiwork of a wire forming machine or a looper.
Compression springs are more or less the opposite of a stretchy extension spring. The coils of a compression spring are separated when they’re not in use (favorite recliner, we’re looking at you) and squeeze together as force is applied to them. (Maybe it’s time for a diet?) These types of springs push back against an applied force. Again, compression spring manufacturing generally employs a spring coiling machine but a wire former may enter the frame every now and again. You may recall that we mentioned grinding last month — when you see flat ends, the grinders paid the spring a visit.
Torsion springs are those fun-shaped springs with two tapered ends extending from a wire coil. As twisting force is applied to the ends, the spring’s coil twists into a tighter and tighter spiral. Naturally, the spring isn’t too crazy about all this twisting and pushes back against the applied force. Hello, there, rat traps, clipboards, and hinges.
Custom Spring Manufacturing
Tennessee Spring & Metal’s selection of spring manufacturing process will depend on the type of spring involved (see above), but we often change things up when we’re forming custom springs to customer specifications and requirements.
Need a specific spring shape, material and finish? Looking for something just a little out-of-the-ordinary? We can spring it! We’ve been shipping springs since the sixties, so our team (or maybe our OG team’s offspring?) knows how to work closely with our customers to develop, design and manufacture the one-of-a-kind spring you’re looking for.
Tapered springs: Think of tapered springs as the sugar cones of the conical compression spring world. Tapered springs tend to be more stable on the lateral plane in comparison to a standard compression spring.
Conical springs: Just kidding! See tapered springs, above.
Hourglass springs: We love it when the springs name does all the work for us. These shapely compression springs feature a narrower diameter than either of the ends. If a tapered spring is the sugar cone of springs, the hourglass is the … Barbie … of springs.
To learn more about our custom springs or spring coating options, contact Tennessee Spring and Metal online or call us at 1-800-497-3545.
Tennessee Spring and Metal is AS9100 Rev D, ISO 9001:2015 certified.