Round wire springs fight back

Independent tests, undertaken at the Institute of Spring Technology, have proven that Lee Spring's round wire springs have a life expectancy equal to that of rectangular wire die springs.

Manufacturers have for years portrayed round wire as the poor cousin of rectangular wire for high performance die spring applications.

Now, independent tests, undertaken at the Institute of Spring Technology (IST), have proven that Lee Spring's round wire springs have a life expectancy equal to that of rectangular wire die springs.

Not only do they perform just as well as rectangular wire form die springs they can also cost much less.

At least 20% less to be precise, according to Lee Spring, which reckons savings on its range of die springs can amount to a great deal more depending on spring choice.

These savings are possible because it is more efficient to manufacture springs in round wire rather than the rectangular wire form traditionally used.

Moreover, users enjoy the increased durability of chrome silicon steel or music wire which has always been the material of choice for steel springs.

In its report the IST stated: "In terms of fatigue life, all springs completed the required 3,000,000 cycles without failure and as such no fatigue ranking of the batches A, B, C, and D (supplied) is possible".

Lee Spring offers five types of die springs based on load performance.

All springs are shot peened for extended life and preset to prevent loss of performance in use.

Supplied closed and with ground ends to provide squareness and the optimum large bearing surface, springs are epoxy coated in different colours for coding and ease of identification.

Lee Spring offers the following technical tips when choosing and using high performance die springs.

Determine if the springs will be used for short run, rapid cycle or extra stress applications.

Use as many springs in the die as space permits with the least amount of deflection.

The more rapidly a spring is cycled, the greater the need to operate within the ideal operating range.

Make sure the hole and rod sizes in the die are properly matched with the spring.

Faulty spring guidance will cause buckling and possible spring failure.

Preventive maintenance on dies should be performed regularly and die springs should be replaced at appropriate intervals to prevent downtime.

Replace all springs in a die at the same time.

This will ensure an even distribution of load.

Do not rework die springs by grinding the inside or outside of diameter or by cutting off coils.

This could result in premature spring failure and possible die damage.

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