Shaped springs for special cases

Whether functional at extremely high or low temperatures, efficient in corrosive environments or designed for special dynamic or static loads: Moulded springs can also be adapted for extreme applications. Appropriate materials and surface treatments as well as, of course, special expertise provide solutions even where you would not necessarily expect them.

The most important thing is to choose the right material for the spring in its special application. The material primarily determines whether the solution can be realised. As a rule, they are selected according to their electrically conductive, non-magnetic or corrosive properties, but often also according to their high and low temperature properties.

Different materials are available depending on the application:

• Steel
• Spring steel
• Stainless steel
• Non-ferrous metals

The modulus of elasticity and the sliding modulus are used to analyse and test whether certain materials provide the desired force and return to their original shape after the load decreases. For the correspondingly large elastic range required for special applications, high elasticity limits and often also low relaxation properties in the event of increased temperatures or large temperature fluctuations must be provided.

In addition to the requirements mentioned above, special moulded springs must also offer a high deformation capacity, fatigue strength and smooth surfaces, depending on the intended use. Under mostly extreme conditions the materials must have constant material propertieswhich can even be used in space or in passenger jets.

If certain material properties are required, but are not available in the "raw" material, supplementary surface treatments are available, for example to improve corrosion protection or the surface finish. Strength or influence the electrical conductivity.

Only the totality of all criteria makes a mould spring what it is. Although the choice of material is a decisive criterion for solving the problem in extreme cases, the application-specific combination of other decisive criteria determines how efficiently the solution works.

The spring design and the spring type, the coil design and the surface treatment, and finally also the spring design according to the proof of strength and function must be combined. Only in the interplay of all the special properties does the Functionality of a highly specialised form spring.

The procedure here is no different from the process that is also common for products for less spectacular applications. The moulded spring is ultimately optimally designed for the available installation space.

Determination of:

• Service life
• Static or dynamic load type
• Operating temperature
• Ambient temperature / medium
• Required forces and spring travel
• Material
• Tolerances

According to this Functional and strength verification can be carried out. Both tests simulate extreme use beyond the required level and thus ensure that the spring functions perfectly in continuous use.

From the wealth of information provided above, it is clear that the Production of special moulded springs is a fine art. One Customised spring construction Developing and manufacturing products for extreme use requires expertise and experience.

When it has to be made to fit: Many years of experience from numerous customer projects in a wide range of industries enable us to quickly familiarise ourselves with our customers' tasks. Contact us - it always makes sense to ask us for a solution.