Wireforms9 min read
Wireform prototype approval checklist
Eight checks that turn a working sample into an approved production reference, with the evidence to keep for each one.
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Topic hub
Wireforms and springs
Formed wire looks simple until a bend radius, a temper or a load test decides whether the part works. These guides cover the drawing calls that matter, the process limits behind them and the questions to ask before a quote.
Guides in this topic
Wireforms9 min read
What is wire forming? Processes, parts and design limits
A practical guide to formed wire parts: the operations behind them, the design calls that decide cost and where wire forming beats stamping.
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Wireforms8 min read
Crack detection for formed wire: visual, penetrant and eddy current
A crack in a formed wire part rarely starts in the middle of a straight run. It starts at a bend, a cut end or a weld, and the method you choose has to suit that location and the material.
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Wireforms10 min read
Extension springs: hooks, initial tension and fatigue
An extension spring carries its load through two hooks and a coil that is already tight. Here is how initial tension is set, where the hooks fail and what to put on the drawing.
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Wireforms10 min read
Nitinol shape memory wire: design limits for production
The strain, temperature and fatigue limits that decide whether a nitinol wire part can be made repeatedly, not just demonstrated once.
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Wireforms9 min read
Prototype wireforms without tooling: when CNC forming pays
Hand forming, CNC forming and soft tooling compared for samples, with the point where a prototype route stops being the cheap option.
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Wireforms9 min read
Spring load testing: how to specify and verify load at length
The fixture, the load point, the sample size and the records that turn a load call on a drawing into evidence that the spring will work.
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Wireforms10 min read
Flat springs vs wire springs: selection for tight spaces
A flat spring uses height and width. A wire spring uses diameter and length. Which one fits a tight envelope depends on the direction of the load, not on the size of the gap.
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Wireforms8 min read
Free length measurement: fixtures, tolerance and gauge R&R
Most free length disputes are measurement disputes. A flat fixture, a stated preload and a gauge study settle the number before the first batch arrives.
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Wireforms9 min read
How to specify a wireform drawing: title block, bends, datums and finish
A drawing checklist for formed wire parts, from the material call and bend table to the datum leg, finish note and inspection requirement.
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Wireforms9 min read
Hydrogen embrittlement in high-strength spring wire
Why a plated spring can break below its design load, where the hydrogen comes from, and the process controls that belong in the purchase order.
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Wireforms9 min read
Wave springs vs coil springs: height, load and cost
When the lower solid height of a wave spring is worth the premium, and when a coil spring is still the better buy.
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