Hardware Products Blog

Hydrogen Embrittlement and the Process of Electroplating Compression Springs

Very frequently – throughout different walks of life – we hear the term “it is plated.” When referring to jewelry, this usually means that it is not really gold but is made of some cheaper material and gold-plated to look like gold. Springs are very often plated for the same reason.

Springs for $150

Established in 1866, Hardware Products Company (HPC) has a long and storied history as one of the leading suppliers of stock and custom spring solutions in the industry. If you’re doing the math, that brings HPC’s tally to 150 years of continuous spring manufacturing, right here in the U.S. We wanted to extend our celebratory excitement to our customers, so we created a 150th Anniversary Special: Springs for $150.

Compression Spring Parameters and Pi

Compression spring design formulas are really only somewhat complicated algebra. They are quite precise and yield very predictable results. However, when compression springs were first becoming widely used during the industrial revolution, neither computers nor calculators existed.

The Evolution of Production Practices 

When compression springs were first invented and manufactured, they were wound on a lathe.  A lathe actually “pulled” the wire around an arbor or mandrel. By today’s standards, that was a crude way to make a compression spring. Mandrels were expensive, so frequently, rather than use the precise mandrel required for the compression spring, the closest mandrel on hand was used. In addition, the space between the coils on the compression spring were developed by the machinist pulling the wire down the mandrel. As a result, the compression spring may well have had varying space between the coils.

Material Selection in Spring Manufacturing Matters

Recently, we wrote about raw material classifications in the steel spring manufacturing industry. These materials are chosen, largely, by their properties and how they will impact the end use. Or think of it inversely: the end use dictates what alloys to choose.

Because steel spring design programs are plentiful and quite easy to use, most engineers know just what they want,

Understanding Material Classifications for Your Next Steel Spring Project

The spring industry, over the years, has divided the common spring materials into different classifications. Some of these classifications have somewhat confusing or misleading names, but are used as jargon within the industry nevertheless.