Newcomb Spring Corporation

United States

Compression spring ends often are ground to increase operational life and to allow the spring to sit squarely on the load-bearing surface. Grinding of compression springs also increases the number of active coils and the wire diameter available in a given volume of space, which can result in higher loads or lower stresses. As a modern compression springs manufacturer, our facilities operate with a wide variety of equipment - from hand-operated grinding tools to automatic, high-speed vertical spindle disc grinders.

Most extension springs are wound with initial tension. This is an internal force that holds the extension spring's coils together. The measure of the initial tension is the load necessary to overcome the internal force and begin coil separation. Unlike a compression spring that has zero load at zero deflection, an extension spring can have a preload at zero deflection (see graph). This built-in load, called initial tension, can be varied within limits, decreasing as the spring index increases. Note that there is a range of stress (and, therefore, force) for any extension spring index that can be held without problems. If the designer needs an extension spring with no initial tension, the spring should be designed with space between the coils. Read more on initial tension. Initial Tension (P1) is determined by extending the extension spring to a given length (L1) ensuring coil separation. The spring then is extended an equal distance to (L2). The amount of initial tension is equal to two (2) times the load achieved at (L1) minus the load at (L2). The formula for Initial Tension Simplified is (Pi) = 2P1 - P2.

Newcomb Spring is equipped to produce precision metal stampings and flat springs in small quantities from sheet material or etched blanks. For large, high-volume manufacturing runs, we typically utilize hard tooling. Newcomb often recommends that customers order a short run of stamping and flat spring parts to verify a component's functionality, thereby avoiding costly design errors. The extensive variety of equipment we utilize to produce stampings, strip forms and flat springs, combined with our use of form tools, allows Newcomb Spring to create complex shapes as well as produce die sets that can be used for cutting, etching, extruding, notching, swedging, stamping and more. Our facilities also offer primary and secondary operation departments, which work to produce short-order flat form components of short-order flat forms. Whenever possible, metal stampings and flat springs should be designed to bend against the grain of material (i.e. perpendicular to the grain) to improve life expectancy and reduce the risk of fracturing.

Recent advances in CNC manufacturing technology have significantly lowered the cost of creating prototypes of complex wire form parts. The Newcomb engineering staff gladly assists customers with part design, and we often produce wire form prototypes to help make sure components will fit spacial requirements. Modern prototypes often can be changed and reproduced in minutes, saving time, lowering costs and avoiding design errors. To make sure a component's dimensions fall within predetermined tolerances, wire forms often are stress-relieved during production. This process improves the reliability of Newcomb Spring wire forms in your products while streamlining the manufacturing process and lowering total production costs.