Fasteners—screws, washers, rivets, specialty clips, nuts and bolts—join parts together, while other mechanical devices, such as springs, store and release energy, maintain alignment and manage loads by changing shape under force. Advances in material science now bolster the integration and precision of these components. Surging demand in sectors like aerospace, automotive and medical devices guarantee their relevance.
The following are a handful of examples of how these components meet the increasingly stringent demands of modern manufacturing.
A Nested Wave Spring in a Crest-to-Crest Configuration
What would a design engineer do when tasked with packing the power of a traditional coil spring into just half the space? They would probably turn to a wave spring solution.
The most important design advantage of a wave spring is that it can provide the same force and deflection as a traditional coil spring, but in a reduced axial space that often requires about 50% less axial height, according to Smalley, the manufacturer and inventor of the edgewound wave spring and Spirolox retaining rings.
This Fall, Smalley will launch a nested wave spring in a crest-to-crest configuration. Nestawave springs are coiled from a single, continuous piece of wire. According to the spec sheet, these springs combine the deflection characteristics of a crest-to-crest wave spring with the force output of a Spirawave nested spring. The resulting design offers high force and significant travel in a compact design. Smalley noted that the new spring will be available as a custom solution. Custom parts make up more than 70% of Smalley’s business.
Wave springs are ubiquitous across industries. In aerospace, wave springs optimize space and performance efficiency in landing gear systems. In automotive, find them in drivetrain parts, clutch assemblies and suspension systems. Manufacturers of machinery and equipment order wave springs for die applications, power tools and industrial automation systems. Wave springs are also commonly specified in lifesaving medical devices and robotic surgical instruments.
