Do you need a spring or wire form but don’t have the original print? Gifford Spring is here to assist.
Our experienced team can often reverse engineer a spring or wire form with nothing more than a sample in hand. We analyze the sample and work with you to determine key specifications and recreate a custom spring or wire form for your application.
Reverse Engineering from Sample Springs and Wire Forms
Whether you have abundant information about your sample or none at all, we can infer several important details with a close examination of your sample spring or wire form:
- Material. Unsure of your material? We can help to determine the material type. Most springs and wire forms are made of either music wire or stainless steel. We can differentiate between the two by performing magnetic testing to reveal the material’s carbon content. (Music wire has a higher carbon concentration than stainless steel.)
- Finishing. Without a print, you may not know if your sample was plated for corrosion resistance or other purposes. We’ll make an assessment, then work with you to ensure the proposed finish meets all functionality requirements.
- Tolerances. We excel at manufacturing precision springs and wire forms, so if you require precision tolerances, we’ll make sure that your part achieves them. We manufacture all springs to the Spring Manufacturer Institute’s commercial tolerances at a minimum.
Replicating Spring and Wire Form Functionality
Although we can learn quite a bit about your spring or wire form through a physical examination and basic testing, we’ll need more information from you about its functionality and intended application.
If you need a compression spring replicated, let us know how far the spring compresses in its application and if a specific force or spring rate is required. If you need an extension spring, let us know how far it will need to extend. And if you need a torsion spring replicated, tell us what angle the spring is installed and how far it rotates in application and if a specific torque is needed.
The more information you provide, the better equipped we are to manufacture the spring or wire form you need.
Optimizing a Replicated Spring or Wire Form
Reverse engineering springs and wire forms provides an excellent opportunity to review and assess the original design. You may be able to make changes in the design that could improve functionality, save money, or both.
If you want to optimize your spring, we’ll run a design check to reveal weak points that may cause your spring to become overstressed or prone to failure, then adjust those areas of concern. If your replacement spring needs a complete overhaul, consider our spring prototyping services to start the design process from scratch.
Reviewing your design may also present ways to cut costs. If, for instance, we find that operations like grinding aren’t critical for functionality, we can save you the extra expense. For wire forms, we often suggest small design changes to increase production speeds or reduce tooling costs.
Gifford Spring is here for all your reverse engineering needs. Request a quote from our custom spring and wire form experts today!