Several factors are taken into consideration when custom coil springs are designed. But why is coil customization so important in manufacturing?
When designing custom springs, there are two very important factors to consider:
- Type of environment
- Type of industry
The environment that the coil spring will be required to operate in is crucial to understanding what is required to guarantee a proper and efficient product. Also, the type of industry that the springs will be used for can establish what the main concerns for a particular spring will be.
Why Are Custom Coil Springs Needed?
Depending on these factors, you will need to find coil springs that are perfect for your business.
Once engineers understand the main purpose for a coil spring as well as the greatest hurdles it has to overcome to operate efficiently, they can then determine the material to design a very specific product to withstand the environment that the coil spring will be placed in.
Below, we’ll discuss these factors and how custom coil springs help improve your compressor performance.
1. Harsh Environments
Coil springs have to withstand several types of harsh environments, including:
- Extreme temperatures
- Excessive pressure
- Exposure to corrosive material
To operate within compressors, these potentially harsh environments have varying levels of severity. For example, temperatures can exceed 200 degrees Celsius / 390 degrees Fahrenheit while pressure can reach 400 bar/6000 psi.
The excessive temperatures and pressure is one of the highest causes of coil springs failing. If customization of the wires that develop coil springs occurs and all extreme factors are taken into account, the failing of coil springs can be drastically reduced allowing for a much more effective running machine.
Coil springs can also be subjected to several types of corrosive material. In particular when used in compressors that service the natural gas industry, coil springs have the increased potential to interact with sour gas.
Sour gas occurs when a considerable quantity of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is found in natural gas. This is significant because sour gas is extremely corrosive to certain types of wires. If it is known that an abundance of sour gas will come into contact with coil springs, the custom coil springs can be developed to withstand this gas.
The damage caused by corrosive materials is one of the other highest causes of coil springs failing. Preventing this through customization of said coil springs can optimize the efficiency of the compressor being used.
Why Materials Matter
Several types of materials are used in the design of custom coil springs. Knowing whether the wire to be used should be bronze, copper, stainless steel, or something more exotic can make all the difference in the performance.
The unique blend of factors to be considered when navigating the environments that a coil spring will be exposed to can help ensure that the custom coil spring can hold up to the complex conditions it will endure.
The Effects of Damaging Machinery
Having a coil spring that is not suited for the specific environment that it is exposed to can cause the coil spring to fail. It can also potentially damage any of the surrounding pieces of the machinery.
A coil spring is encased among valves and other pieces of a compressor. It is also typically withholding a significant amount of pressure at any given time.
If a standard fit coil spring is used and does not fit precisely where it should go, the result of a slight infraction can be significant. It could be that it simply does not work and it halts the use of the machinery it is powering.
However, in a more severe case, the spring can pass excessive amounts of pressure to a place where it is not designed to go. This causes damage to surrounding components of the valve.
2. Industry and Coil Springs
Compressors are used in a number of industries. They are typically out of sight and out of mind but their efficient functionality is essential to avoid negatively impacting the end users of each particular industry.
1. Medical Technology Industry
The medical technology industry has a direct effect on the health care sector.
Imaging instruments and machines that function for dialysis and other illness treating purposes are included in this industry. The impact to the end users could be a delay of medical devices used for disease diagnosis and treatment.
2. Natural Gas Industry
The natural gas industry directly impacts the use of natural gas in everyday life.
It covers the process from the extraction of natural gas from a natural gas deposit in the earth to safely and effectively compressing the natural gas and distributing it to end users who utilize it to meet the demands of their personal or commercial needs.
The efficient use of materials in the natural gas industry ensures that no safety hazards develop. Because of this, no issues arise for the consumer of the natural gas.
3. Blow Molding Industry
Specific blow molding machinery is constructed by the blow molding industry. Hollow plastic shapes are created and can then be joined together for use in several components of production.
From potentially life saving devices to the development of hollow plastic shapes used in a variety of trades, there is no doubt that coil springs contribute to the smooth operation of high value industries that are massively impactful on our surroundings. The ability of these parts to function at a consistent and reliable level is crucial to reduce negatively impacting the general population.
How Coil Customization Improves Reliability
The industries listed above must be able to function reliably to serve the market. Any malfunctioning coil spring can greatly reduce the ability of these industries to operate efficiently.
Compressors are complex and run under a variety of circumstances. Having the proper equipment running within the compressor ensures that all pieces line up and can perform their job together seamlessly. Compressors have to function within harsh environments and maintain use without damage being caused by any specific piece.
Compressors can only operate efficiently when all pieces are working together smoothly. If one piece goes out, all operations can come to an immediate stand still.
Having a consistent supplier who has the specs for any needed custom coil springs can determine when a machine is back up and running. Receiving an order and filling it the same day are essential to keep day to day operations running flawlessly for industry professionals who require the use of custom coil springs.