Wire bending technology - wire forming technology

HOW DOES WIRE FORMING WORK?

Wire forming has completely revolutionized the manufacturing industry. The possibilities are endless.

Wire forming has completely revolutionized the manufacturing industry. The possibilities are endless. Suppliers with wire forming machinery can create 2D and 3D forms to effectively meet their customers’ needs. Manufacturers with 3D capabilities stand out from the competition by creating cost-effective, efficient and precise wire forms that are virtually unmatched in the market. Those with 2D capabilities are often limited in the services they can offer and the designs they can create.

HOW THE 3D MACHINE WORKS

Wire forming machines are computerized and highly automated. The innovative technology used in the machines help suppliers to not only create extremely complex wire forms with precision, but also do so in less time and for a lower cost than was possible in the past with 2D traditional processes. It’s all done in one simple operation and highly trained and experienced experts set up the machine and monitor the wire forming process to ensure uniformity and accuracy. All the customer has to do is bring in a fully dimensioned sketch, sample, drawing, or idea to get the process underway.

You can feed in various sizes of wire in a multitude of different types of wire. The types can range from chrome silicon, oil-tempered wire, and hard-drawn MB to music wire, Inconel, and stainless steel—and any other material that suits your needs. Once fed into the machine, the wire can be bent in any form and at any desired angle that you need—with exact precision. With this type of 3D wire forming, you never need to settle based on your manufacturer’s capabilities. You’ll always get exactly what you need.

2D WIRE FORMING OF THE PAST

In the past, complex wire forms had to be made with 2D technology. Often, the design had to be simplified in order to meet the manufacturer’s requirements and ensure that it could be created properly. Many manufacturers would turn away customers because they didn’t have the right machinery to handle the complexity of the job. And those without 3D capabilities still do.

Those suppliers who did try to make the design come to life often had to spend a lot of additional time on multiple operations like welding, heading, bending, chamfering, piercing, and punching and make the component in several pieces.

With so many extra steps, it’s easier to make errors that mess up the entire design during the wire forming manufacturing process. Not to mention, it increases lead times significantly and also costs customers more money.

NO DESIGN IS TOO COMPLEX

If you’re looking for complex wire forms or custom designs, look no further. Choose a manufacturer that has 3D capabilities and state-of-the-art wire forming machinery to get the job done right. You’ll never have to simplify your design to suit the machine. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. A project that used to be seen as too difficult or complicated to pull off is now quick and easy to create.

3D CAPABILITIES SET MANUFACTURERS APART FROM THE REST

Although you may think all wire form manufacturers are the same, the technology they use and the machinery they own to create wire forms can make a big difference. Those with 3D capabilities can offer superior services by effectively meeting your needs, regardless of the complexity of your custom wire form design or the size of your order. You get consistent results—accuracy and precision every time. You’ll never have to settle for less, you’ll save money, and you’ll have your shipment faster than ever before. Best of all, you can make your unique design come to life.

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SPRINGS

When you’re looking to buy springs, knowing what’s out there for you to choose from can help you understand what you need for the job at hand. The three general categories of springs are used for different applications, and the size, material, coating, and end types will all have an impact on efficiency and durability. Choose the wrong spring for the job and you’ll face costly downtime and frustration. To increase your spring knowledge and make the right choice, check out this complete guide.

COMPRESSION SPRING

The compression spring offers resistance when pushed down with a compressive force. The active coils store and release energy. The load compresses it and makes it shorter while the spring attempts to push back to get to its original length. This energy-efficient open-coil helical spring is the most commonly used metal spring. It can be conical, hourglass, or barrel shaped and custom designs are common. It’s typically fitted into a hole or placed over a rod. It can be wound in a left-hand or right-hand direction and can have varying amounts of coils, which are counted from tip to tip. It can have a closed end, ground ends, or open ends.

Compression springs are found in virtually endless applications, from tiny medical and instrumentation devices to engines, electronics, major appliances, and lawn mowers.

EXTENSION SPRING

The helical extension spring performs in the opposite way of the compression spring by extending instead of compressing, and the stress levels are lower than for the compression spring because it doesn’t have a solid stop that prevents overloading. It has loops, eyes or hooks on each end in order to allow the application of a pull force. These ends are attached to other components, and when these components move apart, the spring tries to get back to its original form by bringing them together again. Initial tension keeps the coils closed, which must be overcome before the coils begin to open. The unloaded position is called the free length, while the fully rated extension is known as the extended length, and the full extension is the maximum load. This type of spring not only absorbs and stores energy, but it also creates a resistance to a pulling force.

It’s used in many applications, such as farming machinery, children’s toys, trampolines, garage doors, brakes, and pliers.

TORSION SPRING

The torsion spring is used to store rotational energy or apply a torque. As with the extension spring, the ends of the torsion spring are attached to other components. The difference is the spring tries to push back the components to get back to its original shape while the components rotate around the center of it rather than through extension. It statically holds a mechanism in place or stores and releases angular energy. The torsion spring is typically mounted around an arbor or shaft and has to be supported by at least three points.

Torsion springs can be found in clothes pins, window shades, clipboards, hinges, ratchets, and many other applications.

MATERIALS, COATINGS, AND SURFACE TREATMENTS

Depending on your application, you can choose from a variety of materials, coating, and surface treatment options. Material selection ranges from ferrous and non-ferrous metals, stainless steel, and alloy steels. Material can also any number of different shapes including round, square, triangular, hexagonal, or just about any shape you can imagine.

Your springs can also be treated with electropolishing, tumbling, shot peening, electroplating, electroless plating, or chemical coatings. The materials you choose will have an impact on the efficiency and durability of your spring while the coating option you choose will be based on the amount of corrosion protection you require and the surface hardness or wear resistance you need.

WHY SPRINGS ARE SO IMPORTANT TO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY?

Here are five reasons why they are so important to the automotive industry.

The majority of consumers won’t understand just how vital springs are to the performance of their vehicles—they probably have just never placed much thought on the tiny components that are placed in their cars and trucks.

But those in the automotive industry know that purchasing high-quality components for the vehicles they manufacture is absolutely necessary. From the seating and door hardware to the valves, suspension, or transmission, many types of springs are used in many areas of vehicles. They help them run properly, efficiently, and safely.

Here are five reasons why they are so important to the automotive industry.

PERFORMANCE

Vehicles need to be tough—they need to withstand environmental conditions, rough, uneven terrain, and long drives. They need to perform at their very best, all of the time. Customers expect it. If they’re dishing out tons of money on a new car or truck, they naturally don’t want their suspension to give out on them over unpaved roads or to have transmission troubles that are caused by a cheap spring. They expect a smooth ride from point A to point B. They don’t want to worry about the springs in their vehicles—that’s your job—to ensure they’re high quality and that your customers don’t even have to think about them.

RELIABILITY

If the springs aren’t durable, then the vehicle isn’t reliable. It’s just that simple. Components that were poorly manufactured, weren’t designed to your vehicle’s specifications, or were created in the wrong size or out of the wrong material won’t last very long. And no customer wants to be heading to the mechanic within a few weeks or months of his or her vehicle purchase because a spring gave out. Getting regular oil changes and air filter replacements is expected—a rusted, cracked, weak, or broken spring is not. Make sure your customers can rely on the vehicles you sell them.

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Have you ever considered that something as small as a spring could be the reason you have a competitive edge over other manufacturers in the automotive industry? Because these tiny components are so important to the performance of vehicles, making sure they’re high quality can help you beat out your competition. Your vehicles will perform better and they’ll be more reliable, which means your customers will be happier. All of this translates into you beating your competitors in the market.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

In the automotive industry, customer satisfaction is of utmost importance. You simply don’t want your customers returning your vehicles because they aren’t performing optimally or aren’t reliable. Plus, if they’re unhappy with your products because you’re cutting corners and trying to save a few bucks when it comes to purchasing a spring, your reputation will suffer. Disgruntled customers love to share their disappointment with brands, and the internet makes it so much easier for them to do so these days—and for others to listen. This can affect your future sales.

SAFETY

Using high-quality springs in your vehicles isn’t just about performance, reliability, and reputation, it’s about safety. Those in the automotive industry know that nothing will ruin your business faster than having unsafe vehicles. When a spring breaks and a car breaks down, it can become more than just an annoying inconvenience. It can become a safety hazard. It can put your customers at risk of serious injury or even death. That’s just not something you can risk to save a few bucks on your manufacturing costs. It’s simply too important to keep your customers and their families safe when they’re driving around in your vehicles.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HIGH QUALITY SPRINGS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

From compression springs in your vehicles’ valves, suspension, and seating and door hardware to coil and compression springs in the transmission, those in the automotive industry know how vital the various types of springs are in the manufacturing of vehicles. However, just putting any cheap spring into the production of your vehicles isn’t good enough. With the automotive industry being so competitive and so much importance being placed on safety, efficiency, and reliability, your only option is to use high quality springs.

Here are a few reasons why high quality springs are vital to the automotive industry.

OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE

To be the best in the automotive industry, your vehicles need to perform at an optimal level. Low quality springs won’t be able to withstand the pressure placed on them or the driving conditions they’re put through as well as high quality springs. Customers depend on their vehicles to work well in extreme weather, on uneven roads, and on long drives. If the springs can’t stand up to these conditions, providing a smooth ride from start to end, your customers won’t be satisfied with the product they’ve purchased from you.

Low quality springs can be created due to poor manufacturing, an inaccurate design, the wrong material type for the application, or even the wrong size type of spring. Any of these factors can result in you purchasing springs that won’t allow for optimal performance. When you’re searching for a spring manufacturer, consider these factors before you make a purchase. Money isn’t everything.

RELIABILITY

Naturally, no customer wants to worry about his or her vehicle breaking down on the way to work, on a road trip, or when he or she runs over a pothole. They don’t want to have to go to the mechanic’s every other week to have their springs replaced because their vehicle isn’t functioning efficiently. When they buy a car from you, they expect to have no problems for a long time. Sure, they’ll have to get oil changes and get the engine checked out occasionally, but they certainly don’t want to be spending all their time and money fixing car parts that should be durable. They want to be able to rely on their vehicles.

When you’re not using high-quality springs in your manufacturing process, you’re not creating cars that are going to last for the long run. Low quality springs will wear out, rust, or break under pressure—and it’s going to happen too quickly.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Manufacturing high quality vehicles is not only important to your company, it’s important to your customers. When the springs and other components in your vehicles provide superior performance and durability, your customers will be satisfied with their purchases. And this customer satisfaction can only be good news for your reputation. The last thing you want is hundreds of poor reviews being posted by unhappy customers because the springs you used were poor and weak. This can greatly hurt your future sales.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT MANUFACTURER FOR HIGH QUALITY SPRINGS

Every spring you place inside the vehicles you manufacture should be strong and durable. Quality is vital in the automotive industry—to your reputation, to your profitability, and to your customers. Don’t risk losing valuable customers and future sales to save a few bucks up front. It’s just not worth the damage you could be dealing with in the end. Make sure the spring manufacturer you choose focuses on quality—not just price.

Wire form applications

Wire forms have a wide range of available designs, with the only limitations in the imagination of the designer and the skill of the machine setter. They have a wide range of applications. Some of them are:

Wire forms for electrical applications: Wire forms are used in many electrical applications, some of the common are for tin plated to bend clips that are used to hold equipments and some wires in electrical applications.
Wire forms for light fixtures: One of the most common industries that use CNC wire forming is lightning industry and can meet tight tolerances.Light fixture wires are also common wire forms.
Manufacturing of battery contacts: Some battery contacts are designed as wire form springs and some are designed as stampings that are made from sheet or strip materials. These are quick and have inexpensive applications to run.
Safety pins and mousetraps: Safety pins are also a form of wire forms; they are an example of a simple wire form.