Wireforms10 min read
Spring fatigue: stress ratio, cycles and material choice
How the stress ratio and the cycle count decide whether a spring survives, and how the material, the surface and the process route change the answer.
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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 3
Wireforms9 min read
Springback in wire forming: why the first bend is never the final angle
How elastic recovery changes the angle and the radius of a wire bend, how to estimate it, and how to set an overbend that holds across a production lot.
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Wireforms9 min read
Wire handles, hooks and loops: load paths and bend design
A design note on the formed wire features that carry a hand, a load or a tie, and the bends that decide whether they hold.
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Wireforms8 min read
302 vs 316 stainless spring wire: which grade for which environment
Both grades are austenitic stainless, and both are used for springs. The choice comes down to chlorides, strength after cold work, cost and how the part is finished.
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Wireforms10 min read
Minimum bend radius for wire: a practical table by material and temper
Starting radii for music wire, stainless, phosphor bronze, beryllium copper and copper alloys, with the strain calculation behind the numbers.
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Wireforms11 min read
Sourcing wireforms from India: capability, tooling and logistics
What the Indian wireforming base can make, how long tooling and first article take, and where the freight and quality risks sit in a programme.
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Wireforms9 min read
Spring rate calculation: the formula and the limits
The compression spring rate formula, a worked example, and the points where a calculated rate drifts away from a measured one.
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Wireforms9 min read
Wireforms for agriculture and outdoor equipment: coatings and debris
How dust, slurry, fertiliser and impact decide wire grade and coating on outdoor equipment, and the geometry that keeps a part working.
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Wireforms9 min read
Wireforms for electrical switches and relays: contact pressure and fatigue
How a formed wire spring sets contact force, wipe and cycle life in a switching device, and the drawing calls that keep all three under control.
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Wireforms10 min read
Compression springs: the design variables that change load and life
Wire diameter, mean coil diameter, active coils, free length and end type decide what a compression spring does. Here is how each one moves rate, stress and travel.
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Wireforms8 min read
Solid height and free length: the two numbers that decide fit
Solid height decides whether a spring can be compressed far enough. Free length decides whether it fits at all. Here is how to calculate both and specify them without collisions.
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Wireforms9 min read
Wire forming design guide: 12 rules for parts that quote well
Twelve design rules that keep a formed wire part inside the process window, with the cost each one protects and the drawing call that makes it stick.
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