European Springs Web Team, Author at European Springs Ireland

Mechanical springs are well-known components essential for effective machine design, a crucial engineering design element.

This vital function is important for creating manufacturing machines, construction tools and vehicles. Here, we explore several spring designs chosen during the machine design process.

What is Machine Design?

This design process defines how energy is handled internally to meet the requirements of the machine. You can use this design to create new devices or upgrade existing ones to meet unique needs.

An example of this process’s importance is a vehicle’s gearbox. This collection of components needs to manage your vehicle both in motion and as a static load. Both these parts need components with appropriate specifications to work efficiently internally and externally, or the car will not function correctly. In addition, the gearbox must work with the engine to operate the car fully.

Machine designers will create plans with particular requirements covering specific materials and finishes, accurate dimensions and comparisons of individual parts and the whole machine’s needs.

So essentially, machine design is a very apt title; it is the process of designing machines. Once the design is confirmed, the depth and detail required for this process are passed on to the assigned manufacturing companies.

What is Mechanical Spring Design?

Spring manufacturers will be tasked with creating high-quality springs, which can involve assisting with mechanical spring design. Mechanical springs are an essential component in various mechanical applications, including even the CNC machines we use to make them.

European Springs have an expert team of engineers that assist our clients with their spring designs. We will match all your specifications, including surface treatments, so you get the perfect piece in small or large batches. Additionally, knowing the function of each spring is essential when picking the right one for your machine design.

Compression Springs

Compression springs store energy when compressed. The basic concept is that they will release that stored energy to expand to their original shape.

Many different compression springs are available, such as conical and hourglass. This resistant spring design is used in various applications, from automotive suspension, industrial equipment and aeroplanes.

Torsion Springs

Torsion springs are coiled springs with extended legs branching from their coils. The resulting force comes from the opposite direction and is proportional to the angle of the twist. This spring is the best choice for twisting motions, and they store rotational energy.

Tension Springs

Tension springs are the opposite of compression springs. These will want to retract to their original tightly wound coil once the force is removed.

The main factor to consider is which direction the force is going concerning the spring itself. Towards will need a compression spring, and away will require a tension spring. These springs are attached to the intended application to limit movement; they are used for counterbalancing or level-based mechanisms.

Spring Design Terms To Consider

Spring Rate: Otherwise known as the spring constant, this is the relationship of the force to compress a spring by a unit of length. This measurement can be compared to any given load to calculate the estimated spring travel (how far the spring will compress). The further the spring compresses, the increased stress it endures. Generally, 20% of travel space should be left during regular operation.

Spring Stress: This is the primary cause of spring failure. A spring overstressed by forces it wasn’t designed to handle will not function correctly and will soon break.

Shock Loading: This is similar, except widely different weight values are changed compared to the original parameters. Consistent speed is also essential. The risk of spring failure is significantly increased as loads are added suddenly. Shock loading can be mitigated by vibration-dampening devices or internal damper coils added to the machine design.

OD: This is the acronym for the outer diameter of your spring. An OD measurement relates to the width of your spring when measured from outside the coil. This applies to many spring designs and is essential when your design needs springs in a hole or tube.

ID: This is a similar acronym for the inner diameter. This measurement relates to the width of the area inside the spring.

Choosing the correct spring specification is essential when dealing with mechanical moving parts. For example, the strength of a spring’s design generally depends on the volume of the wire used. This volume is dictated by the wire diameter and the length of the wire.

The best spring design will provide long-lasting function and can be relied upon to work effectively with the other components in your design.

As leading spring manufacturers in Ireland, European Springs supplies the most acceptable range of springs, so machine designers can be confident we’ll meet their specifications exactly.

Springs are a vital component in a broad range of applications. Due to the many different designs and specifications available, these integral pieces have been used in thousands of unique applications spanning every industry and commercial sector. As a result, you’d be hard-pressed to find a product that doesn’t utilise a spring somewhere.

When assembling your components into the final application, you need to know that each part is of high quality and has an appropriate specification to fulfil its role sufficiently. Therefore, a significant decision is to choose a spring supplier you can trust to meet your exact requirements. We have spent decades manufacturing high-quality springs, wire forms and pressings for clients in various sectors. Due to this experience, we feel there are certain integral factors that a reputable spring supplier needs to meet.

Open Communication

If you have little experience communicating with manufacturers, it can be challenging to know which company to trust. However, as expert spring suppliers, we understand that each client will have unique requirements that must be met. We establish this by developing an open line of communication with our clients to create a positive working relationship.

For example, we offer a bespoke manufacturing service that covers many spring designs, including torsions springs. In addition, we encourage cooperative communication between our expert team members and yours to ensure that your springs are precisely how you need them, from initial designs to prototyping and final production. This process is something that we believe is only possible through open, honest discussion.

Bespoke Spring Specifications

Springs are an extremely varied component to suit the many roles they need to fulfil. Different kinds of springs have unique purposes. For example, you’ll find small compression springs inside pens and switches and large ones in automotive suspension systems, but extension springs are used for garage doors and trampolines. However, even with the many different designs to choose from, the demand for customised bespoke springs designed is growing.

Whilst stock springs are helpful, most applications will have unique requirements not readily accounted for by stock components. Relying on stock parts will leave your application open to potential faults. This is why it is essential to choose a spring manufacturer that can quickly adapt its existing processes to suit your needs and offer a bespoke spring design and manufacturing service. At European Springs Ireland, we can manufacture an extensive range of spring designs, including compression, torsion, and tension, along with many other spring designs.

Wide Range of Materials Available

Our modern world creates increasingly more complex products and machines every year, and all of them will have exacting requirements for their internal components, including any springs. As a result, different materials will provide unique advantages but only when used appropriately; substitutions are not recommended as this will harm the integrity of your compression spring design. For example, some metals provide an increased malleability, and other materials are more suited for wave springs. In addition, some materials are prepared for use outdoors with corrosion resistance, whereas others are not. We can manufacture bespoke springs in a broad range of metals, including stainless steel, copper, titanium alloys, Inconel, Hastelloy and Nimonic.

When choosing which spring supplier to select out of the wide range of compression spring manufacturers available, you need to avoid choosing one that only stocks a limited range of materials, thereby reducing the possibilities available for your desired components. Instead, you need a spring manufacturer with expertise with a broad range of materials so that they can get the right design you need and the most effective material for it, ensuring the most extensive longevity possible for your application.

Reduced Lead Times

Time between the start of a commission and its completion must align with a client’s needs for their application. For example, suppose a supplier is providing a discount on their manufactured products, but it means the lead times will be considerably longer. In that case, this may conflict with your established deadlines and create increased logistical costs for you. It would be best to consider a spring supplier who is honest and realistic about the lead times so you can always be aware of the situation and make the best decisions for you accordingly.

The time it takes to fulfil your orders will have many factors attached. For example, the number of units in your batch, their specifications and the availability of the materials they require will all affect this predicted deadline. Therefore, we recommend that when you are making these initial exploratory enquires to spring suppliers, ask if they have flexibility on lead times. In addition, If they can achieve variably sized batches of units and if any supply chain disruptions could affect your commission. Many spring suppliers (including us as European Springs Ireland) have adopted automation to decrease lead times whilst producing cost-effective results. To maintain our position as a leader in spring manufacturing, we invest in the latest equipment, including high-end CNC machinery and automation, as part of our smart factory improvements.

Long-Term Experience in Spring Manufacturing

When looking for your spring supplier, don’t settle for anything less than the best. As leaders in the spring manufacturing industry, we understand the factors that matter to clients and have implemented them into our client-centric approach to daily operations. At European Springs Ireland, we are continuously working to adapt to the ever-changing requirements of our clients. Our team members provide a high level of experience and can supply innovative solutions for your needs. You can learn more about our processes and manufacturing facilities here.

At European Springs, we are proud of our role in manufacturing high-quality springs and pressings for a broad range of applications. We strive to develop new innovative processes and methods to maintain our status as one of the UK’s top manufacturers. Part of our work is to understand the causes of spring failure and prevent any such losses from occurring in our products with superior techniques.

Spring Design Considerations

With so many applications that require some spring to function, spring failure at any time will be at best a hindrance and, at worst disastrous. As spring manufacturers in Ireland, we understand that spring failure is not an option. However, we believe that by understanding why a spring fails, you can work toward avoiding it for yourself.

Spring Stress is a primary cause of spring failure. Overstessing your spring by applying stress or force that exceeds its specifications indicates a breakdown in the design process. For example, an extension spring will not have much elasticity if designed for strength, so by overextending this spring, you will put it under extreme stress, and it will most likely break.

Wrong Material Choice is also a common cause of spring failure. With so many materials available for your spring manufacture, you need to be sure that you select the best material for the function it needs to perform adequately. For example, Stainless steel is a good choice for clock springs but may not be for other spring types such as valve springs.

Shock loading and other misuses of your spring will lead to spring failure. Shock loading is when the weight of the load increases suddenly or speeds up. Dropping your spring from a significant height is an example of accidental shock loading. The more times the spring is shock loaded, the higher the risk of failure. You can mitigate this with friction devices such as vibration dampening devices or internal damper coils.

The key to our spring manufacturing process is to source specific high-quality materials to meet even the most exacting of production standards. Combined with our in-house contemporary CAD and CAM software and systems, we can help realise a comprehensive range of prototype ideas so you can be sure your specification will work in your required application.

Preserving Your Springs

Even with the best materials, manufacture and design, no spring will last forever; fortunately, as experienced gas spring manufacturers, we know of ways you can increase your spring’s life and prolong replacing it for as long as possible.

Several factors can shorten your spring’s lifetime, but you can ensure your product lasts longer than you expect with careful planning and a reputable manufacturer.

Friction – A spring touching the sides of a shaft (for example, a compression spring inside a gas spring), with repeated friction, will cause increasing damage to both components until one fails.

Environment – A spring that doesn’t have the correct finish will be less likely to function. It will continue to degrade until it fails. In addition, heat or extreme humidity will negatively affect an untreated spring and potentially cause spring relaxation. By keeping these springs cool, you can prolong the life of your spring and reduce the chance of spring relaxation

Stress – This is linked to the overstressing mentioned above. Applying too much pressure to your spring is unlikely to compress as far as it is designed. This will lead to overstressing and breaks. We recommend choosing a larger wire diameter to reduce the chance of spring stress. Additionally, lowering the final load and allowing more room for the spring will enhance longevity.

Prestressing to Prevent Spring Failure

Prestressing is the process where the spring is loaded to the point where the wire is under controlled stress. A spring designed to be prestressed will benefit from withstanding higher pressures and increasing its load-carrying ability while lighter than its equivalents. When spring is prestressed, the changes will increase its lifetime and provide you with a better product.

Shot Peening Improving Operating Life

Shot peening is a method where the surface of the spring is hit with small spheres. It is used on clutch springs, coil springs and compression springs. These impacts will create small indentations, which will overlap as they are repeatedly struck. As a result, the whole exterior of your spring will have a layer of metal in a state of increased residual compressive density. Shot peening essentially increases the tensile strength of your material and makes it far harder for fatigue cracks to start to form. Shot peening is beneficial for:

Preventing corrosion
Cracks and fatigue
Hydrogen embrittlement

High-Quality Bespoke Spring and Pressings from European Springs

By choosing a world-renowned gas spring manufacturer such as European Springs, you can be confident that your required springs will be the highest quality choice with high durability and customised for whatever you need them for.

If you’re interested in any springs, pressings or wireforms, then please browse our stock catalogue to see what we have readily available.

Sustainable manufacturing is an important goal for the manufacturing industry, with significant strides already being made. The nickname the ‘green industrial revolution’ has become commonplace as an increasing number of environmentally friendly changes are implemented across the manufacturing industry.

The Goal of Sustainability

Sustainable manufacturing aims to improve current manufacturing processes and create a far more ecologically friendly system without sacrificing productivity. This increased sustainability is not focused on just the manufacturing processes themselves. These positive changes involve the entire supply chain process around the actual manufacturing, both upstream in sourcing new materials and downstream regarding the finished products and waste management.

The environmental element of improving sustainability is related to:

Less resource consumption
Less waste
Lower emissions

By achieving these goals, the industry’s effect on the environment is immensely lowered. True sustainability is about balance. In context, balancing the industrial sector means companies considering the impact of their current working methods throughout the entire supply chain process. by monitoring this impact in relation to the environment, it becomes easy to find those processes that can be improved and eventually significantly improve all your companies impact as a whole.

Support for Irish Manufacturing

The United Nations Environment Program’s International Resource Panel assessed that if there were no change in the way industry worked, greenhouse gasses would build to 43% by 2060. This and other reports inspired significant changes in the industry worldwide, including the UK’s implementation of a NetZero 2050 strategy and the recent hosting of COP26.

The NetZero 2050 strategy is the UK government’s plan to decarbonise all sectors (industrial, commercial and domestic) nationwide and create a nation that is producing no excess emissions by the year 2050. It involves a road map of smaller targets that must be met to accomplish this goal.

As a metal pressing manufacturer, the COP26 conference held at the Scottish event campus in Glasgow was an event we were very interested in. This latest meeting of representatives from the United Nations was of particular importance to manufacturers as they planned to address areas of combating climate change that was lacking. The results were to increase the demand for companies to embrace decarbonisation as a more sustainable method and embrace limiting waste and renewable energy sources.

Ireland once stood at 46^th on the CCPI (climate change performance index), with a high rating in the implementation of renewable energies and a medium-low rating in energy usage. In addition, manufacturing contributes approximately 10% of the total national emissions in Ireland, creating a significant opportunity for companies to find innovations that will significantly improve their environmental impact. A new climate change act was passed in 2021 to serve as a framework to cut emissions across industries by 51% by the next deadline for the NetZero 2050 strategy, in this case, in 2030. The Climate Action Plan inspired a surge in green innovation predicted to support significant changes in the nation’s industries. This plan aims to contribute to the world’s effort to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and maintain the environment in other ways.

An R&D tax credit is available for manufacturing companies in Ireland. This incentive for research and development enables Irish manufacturers to explore more sustainable operating methods and alternative energy sources, such as investing in solar panels or carbon offset schemes. This tax credit provides 25% on qualifying R&D expenses in science and technology.

Circular Models Are the Future

Many different elements make a sustainable manufacturing company. They include the acquisition of the required materials, the source of the energy to run your facility and what you do with the waste materials afterwards. All these elements can be improved upon to create a truly sustainable process.

All these disparate elements can be collected under the term ‘circular economy. This is the name of a business model for production and consumption that plans to re-evaluate previous linear processes. The essential concept is similar to recycling. For example, spring manufacturers would employ a system of reuse for unused materials to prevent them from becoming waste.

Positive Effect of Sustainable Manufacturing

One element that everyone in the manufacturing industry can agree on is that we have a responsibility to future generations. This is the most significant reason why increasing sustainability is essential, and decreasing the industry’s environmental impact will help ensure that. There isn’t just one primary way to achieve sustainability; many smaller steps can be taken that will combine to have an immense impact.

More sustainable industries will also ensure that habitats remain liveable. In addition, maintaining a high standard for air and water quality and preventing toxins from entering the water table helps the environment and humans. Landfills are one the most significant contributors of harmful toxins to the environment. By recycling as much of our waste as possible, landfills become less necessary. It’s easy to forget that any problem that affects the environment will inevitably become a problem for humans if left unchecked. By protecting the planet, we are also protecting ourselves and the future generations to come.

Sustainable Manufacturing Is the Future

At European Springs, we are constantly working towards discovering new ways to improve our working process for efficiency and environmental impact. As experienced manufacturers of gas springs in Ireland, we have a great deal of experience adapting our work to be the most sustainable it can be.

You can browse our entire selection of springs and pressings in our online stock catalogue.

The gender gap is an issue many male-dominated industries are looking to close. It became such an issue that in 2018, any business or company with over 250 employees must report gender pay gaps, which still applies to date. This enforcement of reporting inconsistencies encourages companies to address their equality in paying wages.

However, the gender gap goes beyond the wages, with the manufacturing industry having significant gaps in the number of employees representing the female gender. At European Springs, we strongly believe in the positive impact closing the gender gap can have on the road to where equality remains as nothing more than the box you tick for data collection.

The Importance of Women in STEM

Studies have shown that since 2010, there has been a 16% rise in women in STEM studies and careers. This rise took the original 562,000 women to an impressive 963,000 in 2021. Whilst this increase is welcomed by the STEM industries. However, it is a long way off from closing the gender gap.

When there are amble labour and skill shortages, closing the gap is not only to increase the awareness of equality in the workplace, especially one so heavily male-dominated, but also to assist the UK in achieving a complete workforce. Furthermore, by supporting and actively participating in female recruitment, STEM industries could help relieve the pressure off overworked staff and increase productivity and morale within the workplace.

Women are vital, especially within the manufacturing process. Many developments, apps, products and much more are not considerate of the female gender due to the significant lack of women in the manufacturing process. Take Apple, for example. On the release of its health app in 2015, it neglected to equate women’s health requirements. This fault was due to the gap in female leads on the project. Without such, it meant the app was centred around the male physique.

Another example of such is butchering. All the standard equipment that most commercial butchering facilities provide for safety doesn’t equate to the natural size of women compared to men and leaves them with unsuitable health and safety wear which could cause significant issues. With more women in the planning, designing and manufacturing positions, the more these errors would be eradicated.

Opportunities Available for Women

Considering women equate to approximately 48% of the labour market, there is still much work to do to close the gender gap within manufacturing. For example, only 8% of women take up apprenticeships in manufacturing, and only 11% of women are currently in executive director roles.

Whilst there is no official exclusion of women, and they are always welcome to apply for any role within the STEM industries, there is still more which could be done. Positive discrimination and more flexible skill requirements, such as soft skills over hard skills, would help to bridge the gap for women.

Soft skills have historically been associated with women but can offer just as much value to a project as hard skills such as IT literacy. Soft skills such as leadership abilities, organisation and quick learning can offer a company much more valuable assets than industry-specific experience.

However, there are many opportunities that women can take advantage of to help them kickstart their careers in the STEM industries. For example, Brunel University in London offers a very successful program for graduates called Women in Engineering and Computing. Since its rollout, they have assisted over 600 new employees in finding positions within STEM industries. Although they are not as widespread as we would like to see as a spring manufacturer, it is the start of aiming for an all-inclusive sector.

Another fantastic opportunity for women is the Meri Williams Scholarship for the University of Bath. This scholarship is offered to all women or non-binary students who wish to work within the STEM sector and will cover £9,000 for the course. Assistance like this goes a long way to encourage more of these students to follow fulfilling careers and have opportunities to change the world, which many other industries don’t offer.

Supporting Women In STEM Careers

As an experienced pressing company that strives for an equal industry, we offer a fully comprehensive engineering apprenticeship program open to all genders and skill levels. We take on apprenticeships year-round, with most of our apprentices being provided with the opportunity for a full-time career in their area of expertise. We also support development through in-job training, allowing staff to progress in their careers without needing to look for a new position elsewhere.

The STEM industry has significantly upped its self-awareness of the gender gap. With many organisations set up to support women and non-binary into stem careers, including the likes of STEM Women, which showcases all the jobs available, working alongside universities, employers and students to find the suitable match for all.

If you would be interested in a career with us, learning about our processes as spring suppliers, you can enquire online using our contact form. One of our helpful team members will get back to you with more information about all our courses and opportunities accessible for women wishing to begin their STEM careers.

Throughout our decades of experience manufacturing high-quality pressings and stampings, we have developed our processes to create an expert service that is constantly in high demand from our clients worldwide.

Our team of engineers have earned a wealth of knowledge in this field, covering manual, semi and fully automatic production to suit the requirements of the customer’s needs. One thing that became evident very early on is that no one type of press applies to every product. An important lesson is that adaptability is vital when conducting the bespoke pressings and stampings operations we offer. Therefore, our engineers must have a working knowledge of various press machines.

How Do Machine Presses Work?

Initially, pressings had to be created by hand. Before the machine press was invented, workers used tools such as hammers to change the shape of the metal. This was not only an agonisingly slow and physically draining process, but it would also be less effective on harder metals. So, this was replaced with the steam hammer around the mid-1800s. The steam hammer (or drop hammer) is the earliest known machine that led to modern pressings.

In modern manufacturing, the machines have replaced their steam with hydraulics. Every device will have its own unique designs, but all pressing machines share specific processes and features. Most pressing machines operate in a straightforward manner by pressing the workpiece plate or die onto the workpiece materials or into it for a more dramatic result. This process is controlled through multiple tool setters that ensure the position of the workpiece. This is when the hydraulics come in; the press pushes the plate or the die against each other using hydraulic pressure. This enables the desired change.

Machine presses rely on high pressure to create the intended results. Most machine presses use around 1 to 30 tons of pressure, which enables them to reshape a broad range of materials such as steel, beryllium copper, and stainless steel alloy. As experienced spring manufacturers, we have used carbon spring steel in our pressing operations with impressive results.

Punch Press

A punch press is the most well-known design of a press machine, and as the name suggests, this press deforms the material by punching holes into it. First, a portal frame with a centred ram or a C frame with a hydraulic ram. Punch presses can be operated manually, but with advances in CNC machining, computer-run punch presses are significantly more popular as they vastly increase production quotas.

Stamping Press

A stamping press is another well-known press design we use at European Springs a lot. While these are similar to punch presses, there are significant differences. They both use a pressurised tool to change the materials workpiece, but stamping does not create clear, clean holes like a punch press.

In this case, the material is pressed into the die to take the same shape, and the material is secured with a bolster plate between the die and a press tool. The tool in the stamping press is pushed into the material, forcing it to deform into the shape of the underlying die.

Lid Press

A Lid press is quite different to the previous examples. Whereas the previous focus was on changing the form of the material, this press is designed to apply a cover to an existing object. As a result, you’ll find lid press machines most used mainly for sealing storage containers such as buckets or cans.

Press Brake

A press brake is exclusively used for metal manufacturing. The role of this press is to bend and deform metal workpieces such as sheet metals. These are sandwiched by a tool and die, similar to other operations, especially stamping presses, with the exception that this machine only works with metal pressings.

Screw Press

As the name suggests, the defining feature of a screw press is the screw-driven ram installed. This updated design has been around for centuries but is now usually controlled through CNC machining to twist and turn the ram and force the tool down onto the workpiece to get the desired shape.

European Springs Pressings and Stampings

At European Springs, we can provide our clients with a broad range of materials to choose from, such as:

Aluminium
Beryllium copper
Brass
Carbon spring steel
Copper
Phosphor bronze
Stainless steel
super alloy

We can work these materials into your desired components from our high-quality strip material. This can include flattened wire for manufacturing flat springs and non-metallic materials if our clients prefer it.

Once you’ve worked with our design team to refine the idea, our engineers are able to decide the most effective method of creating your components in mass quantities using our fully equipped equipment room. They can create the perfect tool suitable for either manual semi or fully automatic production of your pieces.

Our facility has 24 progression power and multi-slide presses, with also nearly 40 single-stroke presses. This impressive collection of equipment allows us to create pressings efficiently, whether it’s a single prototype or full production.

You can learn more about our acclaimed pressings and stamping process online, including how we can help you with your next application. We are not just limited to our high-quality pressings; we also diversify into manufacturing springs and wireforms, all of which are made by our expert engineers and available for order online.

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Author: European Springs Web Team