Wireforms9 min read
Conical springs: when a tapered spring solves a packaging problem
Tapered springs trade a linear rate for a short solid height and better stability. Here is where that trade pays and where it does not.
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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, page 2
Wireforms9 min read
Music wire vs stainless steel springs: cost, corrosion and life
A practical comparison of the two default spring materials, the stainless grades that matter, and the cost lines that sit outside the wire price.
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Wireforms8 min read
Spring plating: zinc, nickel, tin and passivation compared
A spring finish has to survive flex, protect the wire and sometimes carry a contact. Zinc, nickel, tin and passivation do different jobs, and one of them is not a coating at all.
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Wireforms10 min read
Wire clips and retaining clips: design rules for snap fits
A wire clip is a cantilever spring with a hook on the end. Deflection, strain, ramp angle and engagement depth decide whether it snaps on and stays on.
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Wireforms9 min read
Wireform tolerances: what to put on the drawing and what to leave to the process
A practical tolerance set for formed wire parts, how bend errors stack, and which calls are cheaper to control with a gauge than with a dimension.
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Wireforms8 min read
Beryllium copper springs: when the extra cost is justified
Beryllium copper gives a spring high strength and useful conductivity at the same time. That combination is worth paying for in some contacts and wasted in others.
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Wireforms9 min read
How wire diameter tolerance changes formed part dimensions
Why a few hundredths of a millimetre on the wire can move an outside dimension, a spring rate and an assembly fit, and how to design around it.
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Wireforms9 min read
Spring stress relief and shot peening: what to specify
Two post-forming processes that change spring life and dimensional stability, and the words a drawing needs to make them repeatable.
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Wireforms11 min read
Welded wire assemblies: design, fixturing and inspection
A welded wire assembly is made by the fixture as much as by the welder. Here are the joint types, the design rules and the checks that keep a cage or frame square.
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Wireforms9 min read
Wire cages and guards: open area, stiffness and finish
How mesh geometry sets airflow, visibility and strength in a welded wire guard, and where the coating changes the design.
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Wireforms11 min read
CNC wire forming vs four-slide: volume, complexity and cost
Both processes bend wire, but they buy volume in different ways. A worked comparison of tooling, cycle time and geometry limits, and the volume where the answer changes.
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Wireforms8 min read
Phosphor bronze springs: conductivity, corrosion and fatigue
Phosphor bronze carries current and springs at the same time. Here is where it beats stainless and steel, and where its conductivity and temperature limits make it the wrong choice.
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