Custom and Stock Springs Secondary Options
Ever wondered what secondaries are and why they matter? At Acxess Springs we know the importance of specialty springs and have always strived to make custom springs a high-quality affordable reality for our customers. From selecting the material type to the exact dimensions and specs you want, when you buy a custom spring you can choose exactly what you need from your springs but you may not know that stock springs can also have some enhancements made to them.
Secondaries are the additional customizations that can be made to spring and since these are done after the spring is manufactured they can also be applied to stock springs. Our stock spring division TheSpringStore.com has several secondaries that it offers and these can also be applied to custom springs. Today we are going to share some of the secondaries you can add to your spring in order to enhance it. These secondaries are still additional in cost and process and need to be requested previous to the ordering of the springs in order to verify the possibility and price of such.
Plating
Plating is a process by which the springs can be enhanced through a type of coating that can improve the spring aesthetically, and/or in regards wearability, conductivity and reduce corrosiveness. Since the purpose of plating a spring varies that is why, so does the type of plating options. The most common is zinc plating but based on customers’ needs we can also provide black oxide, nickel plating, gold plating, etc. Other plating options based solely on the color are also available.
In some cases the springs are a visible component of the device and need to be of a certain color, other times the springs play a specific role that needs to be color-coded or easily identified. In such cases, plating is a good option to change the color of the spring and allow it to fulfill that role. Nickel plating is also a great way to enhance the look of springs since it provides a nicely enhanced lustrous look to the spring.
Passivation
Passivation is a process that can be completed after the spring is manufactured and improves the cleanness and corrosive resistance of the spring. This is a very common process for medical springs. Passivation can only be completed on stainless steel springs due to the aggressive nature of the harsh and chemically strong procedure other material types are not apt to endure it.
Ends
The ends of most springs can be enhanced and adjusted to fulfill different requirements. Since compression, extension, and torsion springs each have different types of ends they have different secondary options available.
Compression Spring Ground Ends
Compression spring ends can be grounded as part of the secondary process. This means that the end coil is passed through a grinding machine that thins and roughens the ends to create a coarse surface that can better stabilize the spring when standing.
Extension Spring Ends or No Ends
Extension springs end can also be adjusted to be machine hook, cross over hooks or even no hooks. Depending on the needs of the customer some extension springs can actually have better durability and take on greater load if they have no hooks and instead have bolts attached to the ends because the hooks tend to be the spring’s weakest point.
Torsion Spring Legs
Some torsion spring legs need bends on them and we can make that happen. Price and lead times will be based on complexity and quantity. Also, if you are looking for a stock spring to have the ends bent please consider that the leg length on the ends must be long enough for the bend to take place.