In our daily life and industrial production, springs are everywhere. From small ballpoint pens to the shock absorption systems of automobiles to the core components of large machinery, springs play a vital role. How are these seemingly simple springs containing huge energy made?
How springs are made?
1. Preparation of raw materials
Spring manufacturing begins with high-quality raw materials, commonly used materials include carbon spring steel, alloy spring steel, stainless spring steel, as well as copper alloy, nickel alloy and so on. The choice of these materials depends on the specific characteristics required by the spring, such as elasticity, strength, corrosion resistance, etc.
Raw materials are usually in the form of steel wire or steel bars, and these materials need to undergo rigorous inspection before entering the manufacturing process to ensure that they meet manufacturing requirements. For large springs or springs with special shapes, it is sometimes necessary to pretreat them before thermoforming, such as heating and softening.
2. Molding process
Forming is the core step of spring manufacturing, according to the type and specifications of the spring, the forming process can be divided into cold winding method and hot winding method.
Cold winding method: suitable for small diameter spring steel wire. During the cold winding process, the steel wire is crimped by the precise mechanical structure of the spring coiling machine. By adjusting CAM, slide and other parts, the spring coiling machine can control the crimping shape and specification of the steel wire. The spring made by cold coil method has high precision and surface quality.
Hot coil method: suitable for springs with large diameters or special shapes. In the hot coil process, the steel bar is first heated to a softened state and then molded by mechanical pressure. The hot winding method can produce springs with complex shapes and large sizes, but the manufacturing accuracy and surface quality may be slightly inferior to the cold winding method.
3. Heat treatment
Heat treatment is an indispensable part of the spring manufacturing process. Through heat treatment, the internal structure and performance of the spring can be improved, and its strength, hardness and toughness can be improved.
De-stress tempering: After the spring is formed, the first de-stress tempering treatment is carried out. This step can eliminate the internal stress generated during the forming process and stabilize the size and shape of the spring.
Quenching and tempering: For springs that require high strength and hardness, they also need to be quenched and tempered. Quenching is to heat the spring above the critical temperature and then cool it quickly to increase its hardness; Tempering is heated after quenching to reduce brittleness and increase toughness.
4. End processing and finishing
The end machining of the spring is an important part in the manufacturing process. Depending on the type of spring and application requirements, face grinding, calibration, deburring or chamfering may be required. These processes help to improve the precision and appearance quality of the spring and ensure that it meets the design requirements.
After the end is finished, the spring also needs to be trimmed. Trimming includes adjusting parameters such as the free height and middle diameter of the spring to ensure that it meets the design requirements. The dressing process is usually carried out using specialized dressing equipment or hand tools.
5. Surface treatment
In order to improve the corrosion resistance, aesthetics and service life of the spring, surface treatment is usually required. Common surface treatment methods include painting, galvanizing, electroplating, etc. These treatments can be selected according to the material and application requirements of the spring.
6. Inspection and testing
After the spring is manufactured, it is also necessary to carry out strict inspection and testing. The inspection includes geometric size inspection and appearance quality inspection to ensure that the spring meets the design requirements. The tests include mechanical performance tests and fatigue life tests to assess the strength and durability of the spring.
The mechanical property test is usually carried out by universal testing machine, which can measure the elastic modulus, yield strength, tensile strength and other parameters of the spring. The fatigue life test is to evaluate the service life and reliability of the spring by simulating the stress situation in the actual application.
What material is the spring made of?
Springs are made of a variety of materials, and the choice of these materials mainly depends on the specific properties required by the spring and the application environment. Here are some common spring manufacturing materials:
Carbon spring steel: is one of the most commonly used spring materials, with good elastic and mechanical properties.
Alloy spring steel: by adding alloying elements (such as silicon, manganese, chromium, vanadium, etc.) to improve the elastic limit, fatigue limit and impact toughness of the spring.
For applications where corrosion resistance is required, such as springs in food processing equipment and medical equipment.
Non-ferrous metal materials:
Copper alloy: such as phosphor bronze, brass, etc., has good corrosion resistance, but the elasticity is poor than steel, often used in chemical machinery springs.
Nickel alloy: such as Inconel, suitable for springs in high temperature environments, such as those in boilers, turbines and jet engines.
The manufacturing process of springs is a complex and delicate process involving multiple steps and key technologies. Through strict manufacturing process and quality control, we can produce spring products that meet the design requirements and have good performance. These springs play an important role in industry and daily life, providing stable and reliable elastic support and reset functions for various mechanical equipment and devices.
