News & Updates Archives | Page 8 of 75

At European Springs, we’re proud of our long-term commitment to support the manufacturing industry with our apprenticeship schemes. We firmly believe that these schemes are a way of investing both in people and in the industry, with each successful candidate having a positive effect on the sector as a whole.

The past few years have been a struggle for the manufacturing industry at large. Many companies found it difficult to cope with the supply chain issues, talent shortage and gender gap. Whilst it seems now that there is an end in sight to most of the problems caused by the pandemic, the gender gap remains.

In this blog, we’re discussing the need for more inclusivity in manufacturing and the career opportunities available for women.

Addressing the Gender Gap

As prominent spring manufacturers, we are aware of the unfortunate truth that, whilst 48% of women do actively participate in the labour market, they make up only 29% of the manufacturing workforce. Some have noted this as a consequence of occupational segregation limiting women’s career roles in manufacturing. 2021 Make UK’s reportstates that only 8% of women take up apprenticeships in manufacturing due to the impression that it’s not for them.

As disheartening as these numbers read, we at European Springs are one among many companies that are committed to changing this by creating a more inclusive community that welcomes both men and women to successful careers in manufacturing. Much like the bespoke pressings service we offer, we believe that, for this industry to survive, you can’t limit yourself to just one way of doing things; you need to be flexible and adaptable to thrive.

More employers have begun to search actively for new graduates to become apprentices. There is always a constant demand for highly skilled people in the manufacturing industry, so women interested in exploring this part of STEM are valued resources.

Advantages of Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships’ contributions to the economy have been growing over the last decade. The CEBR report on productivity correctly predicted that £3.4 billion of the UK economy was due to the increased productivity of 3.8 million people completing their apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship schemes are a great way to get a hands-on experience of a career and potentially learn things easy-to-miss in the classroom (or that are simply not taught there). In addition, the ability to shadow an experienced member of the team combined with the supervised work can help someone new gain confidence in what they are doing. Apprentices will take, on average, 1-4 years to become fully qualified, but you will also be paid for your work during this time.

There are advantages for the employer as well. For example, the UK government has recently implemented a new incentive payments scheme for hiring new apprentices. This limited-time initiative is available until May 2022 but substantially assists companies who help their industry by taking on new apprentices.

The apprenticeships we offer at European Springs follow a nationally recognised mechanical manufacturing apprenticeship framework that will award certification at BTEC level 3 in engineering operation and maintenance. An NVQ in mechanical manufacturing engineering accompanies this; for more information on our apprenticeship schemes, please contact us.

Other Opportunities for Women in Manufacturing

All across the UK, there has been an increase in scholarships and bursaries to assist women studying for manufacturing positions. Additionally, apprenticeships for all young people have increased, thereby making it easier than ever to start a profitable career in the industry.

Brunel University in London offers a prestigious program for its graduates and undergraduates called Women in Engineering and Computing (otherwise known as WiBEC). This mentoring program supports young women who wish to enter a STEM career in engineering and manufacturing. With over 600 female students benefiting from the impartial advice from their industry mentors since 2014, this is a prime example of how accessible manufacturing has become for women.

More improvements have been made in the manufacturing industry beyond study and apprenticeships. For example, it’s been reported that 67% of manufacturers currently have an EDI in place (which stands for equality, inclusion and diversity), with those EDI plans reviewed yearly. These improvements have led to women making up 29% of the manufacturing workforce in the UK and 18% of the company boards.

Engineering Apprenticeships for Women

As the most prominent compression spring manufacturer in the UK, European Springs wholeheartedly disagrees with the idea that manufacturing is a gender-limited occupation. We celebrate the 23^rd of June every year as National Women in Engineering Day (NWED) because we believe that everyone should feel welcome when choosing to work in the manufacturing industry.

Hopefully, this blog will help inspire some of you to follow your passion and pursue the career in manufacturing you deserve. For more details on our apprenticeship programs, please don’t hesitate to contact us, and one of our experts can answer all your questions.

The demands on spring manufacturers are at their highest when manufacturing suspension springs for vehicles. The automotive industry relies heavily on the highest-quality suspension springs for their vehicles.

As a prominent member of The Institute of Spring Technology and leaders in suspension spring manufacturing for decades, we understand the exacting standards required when manufacturing premium suspension springs.

In this article, we will be looking into more detail about this essential product from our extensive catalogue, the suspension spring.

What is A Suspension Spring?

Internationally, spring manufacturers have two names for this spring type, suspension spring and coil spring, but despite the different names, they both have the same applications.

You will find suspension springs in every road vehicle, from cars to motorbikes and even more industrial or agricultural machinery.

Suspension springs are an essential part of the automotive sector due to their application in vehicle suspension systems. They essentially take all the bumps out of the road and give you a much smoother ride.

How is A Suspension Spring Designed and Manufactured?

During our time manufacturing and supplying suspension springs around the globe, we have had to adapt our product to suit the needs of every project, from small niche applications to huge multinational product lines.

When we manufacture our suspension springs, we work with a wide range of:

Copper
Steel
Titanium
Superalloys such as Hastelloy, Nimonic and Inconel

The springs’ high strength requirements for vehicle suspension make steel alloys the most used for suspension coil springs and valve springs. The steel alloy has the required strength and hardness and offers a higher sag and temper resistance, making it an excellent choice for your suspension coil spring.

Once the spring has been designed to suit the required specifications and chosen material, it’s time to manufacture the final product.

The specifics of manufacturing a suspension spring will vary very little despite the difference in the specification.

What Makes Suspension Springs So Popular?

When suspension springs are combined with shock absorbers, not only does it provide a smoother ride for the driver, but they also make sure that the wheels are in contact with the road at all times, which increases control.

The increased grip is integral to better road handling and general road safety. Icy roads show how a car’s handling becomes impossible without adequate grip on the road. Strong suspension springs prevent this dangerous driving from occurring in all but the harshest weather conditions.

Shock absorbers and suspensions springs work together to create a smooth ride. The springs will absorb and release the many minor imperfections in the average road, so you don’t feel it, and the shock absorbers help keep your tires gripped to the road.

Different Types of Suspension Spring

There are as many suspension spring types as vehicles on the road. As experienced suspension spring manufacturers, European Springs has manufactured suspension springs for every vehicle design.

We understand that each suspension spring needs to be tailored to the exacting specifications of the vehicle it will be installed into. For example, motorcycling, touring, and indy cars all put high demands on their suspension, so they require the most durable springs. Alternatively, a domestic vehicle won’t be operating under such extremes, so they can afford to choose a more cost-effective suspension spring design.

Progressive Vs. Linear Suspension Spring

The way the spring is manufactured will significantly affect the vehicle’s performance; that’s why it’s important to know what you want in your final product. There are two initial aspects of a suspension spring to consider: linear or progressive rates.

The spring rates will tell you how stiff a spring is and it’s the most significant difference between a linear or progressive design.

The benefits of a linear rate suspension spring are their simplicity. A linear rate has only one variable to it and has a consistent, predictable rate. This predictability makes accurately calculating how the spring will act under various road conditions very easy. Since this spring has only one way to respond when in use, the handling feels stiff and responsive and is an excellent choice for an average car or lorry.

However, whilst the linear rate is more popular, it can only handle the situations it was designed for, and you will have to choose to design your spring more toward either handling or comfort but not both; this is where progressive rates come in.

The benefits of progressive rate suspension springs are their adaptability. Progressive rates are more complicated to predict than linear, but they have the potential to handle both comfort and handling in a single suspension spring, something worth exploring in any new car design.

UK’s Largest Spring Manufacturer

With over 70 years of extensive experience manufacturing and distributing bespoke springs and pressings, we are confident that we can supply you with any custom spring design that your latest project requires from compression springs and tension springs to torsion springs and suspension springs.

If you would like to acquire premium suspension springs from the UK’s leading manufacturer, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch online or call us on (+44) 0208 663 1800, and one of our expert team members will be happy to discuss your required specifications.

It’s no secret that the world is not the same place as it was two years ago. The effects of Covid-19 swept across the globe and changed our lives in a multitude of ways. Our work lives changed as industries faced the unprecedented times and were forced to cope with the new way of living and working.

One of the most affected industries was manufacturing; as supply chain issues built up, so did demand, which left companies all over the UK struggling to cope. Unfortunately, the industry lost many businesses during the pandemic – but it’s not all doom and gloom. Coronavirus gave the manufacturing sector the chance to show its resilience.

Here at European Springs, we’re firm believers that the manufacturing industry is built with strong people who can pull through the worst times. The way that many UK manufacturers, including ourselves, coped during the pandemic proved that.

Today, we’re looking into the resilience of the manufacturing industry and how it coped with the setbacks and changes.

How Did the Pandemic Affect the Manufacturing Industry in the UK?

One of the most significant impacts the pandemic had on the manufacturing industry was the supply chain. Materials were difficult to get hold of due to supply issues such as the decrease in materials produced by companies because of the covid restrictions and staff absences.

This had a knock-on effect and impacted the entire manufacturing line. For example:

Delayed deliveries. Even though delays were expected during the unprecedented times, it didn’t mean that they weren’t met with disappointed and angry customers. Not only were customer deliveries delayed, but all deliveries were delayed, which meant manufacturers had to wait for their suppliers.
Rising costs. Due to the disruption that the pandemic had caused to businesses, many were forced to up their prices. Again, this had a knock-on effect, and suppliers increased their costs, which meant manufacturing became incredibly expensive for both the customer and the production line.

Increased Risk and Uncertainty. The world stood still, and many of us were left questioning everything: when we could see family and friends again, when we could return to work when our businesses could re-open. Business owners had a high level of risk involved in their job as one wrong move, and their company could have collapsed.

Other Struggles the Industry Faced

As well as the setback of Covid-19, the manufacturing industry is still dealing with the effects of Brexit. Due to the long list of ever-changing rules and regulations, there was a lot of confusion surrounding deliveries, supply chain issues, customs, and frequent protocol changes. Because of this, the industry took a huge hit, and unfortunately, many manufacturing businesses shut down. This, however, did not help the situation, as although delays were aplenty, demand was higher than ever, so as more businesses closed and the labour shortage rose, more struggled under the weight of the ever-growing list of issues.

How Did the Manufacturing Industry React to These Struggles?

For companies who provide specialist products and services such as bespoke spring manufacturers like ourselves, resilience was at the forefront of our drive to push through and still deliver our fantastic service and high-quality products despite the struggles.

As spring manufacturers, our products are required in a long list of various industries, from defence to agriculture to the medical sector and everything in between. At first, it was difficult for manufacturing companies like ourselves to adjust to this high demand, so many companies did not recover.

On top of this, as mentioned, due to illness and covid restrictions, many companies were understaffed. The labour shortage was something that many businesses struggled with and meant that remaining staff members were under pressure, resulting in stress and frustration.

How Did the Industry Recover?

At multiple points over the last two years, it has seemed like it has been one thing after another, which meant it has been challenging to see how the situation was ever going to improve. However, in early 2022, we can finally say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and recent surveys amongst the manufacturing industry have proven just how resilient the sector can be.

Output balance reached a peak and have risen by 42%, which was a huge relief to the industry. In addition to this, jobs are continuing to grow by 23% – a fantastic indicator that we are continuing to inspire people to join our resilient industry and become part of a sector they’re proud to be in.

We, too, are proud to be part of the manufacturing industry here at European Springs. We’re not just torsion spring manufacturers, tension spring manufacturers, or providers of pressings and wire forms; we’re part of a bigger picture and are living proof of the strength of manufacturers in the UK.

To join our team as one of our apprentices or learn more about our work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, and we will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

When you’re deciding the required specification of your springs for a new project, you need to consider the environment, life expectancy and required load. As an experienced spring manufacturer, we know there is a spring for every job.

In this article, we will be looking at torsion springs – one of the many spring types we manufacture here at European Springs & Pressings!

What are Torsion Springs?

Torsion springs are a different type of spring from your typical spring. These coiled springs work by a twisting motion; this rotational movement is known as ‘torsion’ hence the name.

The most popular design for a torsion spring is the helical looped design. This spring type is used when your design needs an angular movement rather than your classic style with a compression spring.

How Is A Torsion Spring Designed And Manufactured?

The helical loop is the most common design for a torsion spring. This design is made by coiling wire and twisting it tighter and tighter. Then, finally, a sideways force is applied to either the right-hand helix or the left.

As a leading company in torsion spring manufacturing in the UK, we offer torsion springs in all shapes and sizes. Any specification can be manufactured to your specific requirements, large, small, double, single or extended length coils.

The production time of this spring is significantly faster than other spring designs due to it needing only one type of machine.

Different Types of Torsion Springs

There isn’t just one type of torsion spring. Most Torsion spring manufacturers will stock different types of this spring, and the most popular is the double coil. The double coil torsion spring is two standard single-coil springs merged to create a double coil spring. This variation is for specifications that require double the torque than the single coil.

What Makes Torsion Springs So Useful?

Where your classic spring works on the idea of squeezing and expanding, the torsion spring is the idea of being somewhat flexible but always returning to its original shape.

For example, most door hinges will have torsion springs in them. This spring brings the door closed again or at least allowed it to bounce back on its hinge to a neutral position. You can open a torsion spring with some force, but it will always bring itself back closed when left alone.

The official description is a torsion spring has a linear characteristic. The torque is equal to force x leg length: M=F x A. the further down the leg, the more pressure is applied, the less counter force is applied.

What Industries Use Torsion Springs?

The unique qualities of torsions springs make them such a popular tool across various industries. Able to do their job in multiple sizes and materials, their versatility has led them to be used in construction to medical industries and many more.

In the agricultural and construction industries, the torsion spring can bring the durability and versatility needed to perform consistently in such a hardworking environment. These springs are used in tractors, ploughs, fertiliser equipment and sprayers. No one wants to change parts or repair equipment constantly, so a sturdy spring like a torsion one is essential.

In the motor industry, you’ll find mostly chrome silicon torsion springs. This material with this spring design allows for smooth motion and tension along the entire spring. You’ll find these springs in the assembly for gear shifters, clutches, valves and the suspension system.

The need for a highly durable spring in the medical sector is vital— the ability to have a high-quality mico torsion spring for intricate equipment is essential. High carbon steel is used in most torsion springs for the medical industry for this very reason. Torsion springs can be applied in hospital beds, dental equipment, wheelchair lifts and hundreds of other pieces of equipment.

Where Have You Used Torsion Springs?

Door hinges have small torsion springs in them, as mentioned earlier, but garage doors have a different way of using these springs. When a garage door is closed, the torsion springs connected are stretched and will be storing considerable energy in them (In this case, the door’s weight). When opening a garage door, the spring takes the weight as it closes again.

Retractable seats are another item that needs torsion springs to work. Any time you leave a stadium or cinema seat and the seat you were on folds itself up, that’s a torsion spring pulling the seat to the backrest.

Your average clipboard would be more complicated if it weren’t for torsion springs. That pressure you feel when prizing open the clip, you are exerting force on the spring. The spring will hold your papers tight once you let go because that’s its natural position.

If you need standard torsion springs in a fine to medium weight category, please browse our spring catalogue to find the correct spring for your project. Or contact us today to discuss with one of our team members creating bespoke torsion springs with your unique requirements.

To commemorate National Apprenticeship Week, we wanted to give some inspiration for those lucky enough to teach STEM subjects such as engineering. Teaching is a fascinating and rewarding career, but despite this, it can be challenging at times, especially when it comes to finding fresh new ideas to inspire the younger generations.

Engaging students in engineering is crucial, as it gives them a better understanding of the science and how it’s beneficial for society. Nurturing and developing students’ interest in engineering should begin in classrooms at an early age. Additionally, it’s vital to make it clear to students that university isn’t the only path and that, as young people, they should keep their options open.

That is why we’re looking into some engineering activities you can use in your classroom to help with lessons and hopefully spark some inspiration in your students to encourage them to continue with their engineering studies and participate in an apprenticeship. We’ll explore various activities that you can do with students of all ages – let’s take a look.

Team Building Activities

Group activities have the advantage of teaching students how to work together and use their strengths for the benefit of the team. It also allows them to develop interpersonal skills and self-confidence. For instance, you could have a paper plane contest. Students can create a design of their own or choose an existing one that they think is the fastest; they can then test this, and the plane that flies the furthest wins. Exercises like these help students develop their critical and spatial skills. It’s also an excellent activity for all ages. Primary school-age children will enjoy the excitement of testing their planes and watching them fly, whereas A-Level or high school-age young adults may see it as more of a competition and want to create the most successful design.

Another group activity that often proves successful is an escape room. This trend started with computer and phone games but has evolved into physical spaces. The idea is to place students in a closed room, and they have to solve clues and puzzles to get out. You can even divide students into teams, and the group that escapes the room with the fastest time is the winner. Not only is this a fun activity, but it allows students to think rationally, make decisions on the spot, grow their analytical skills, and become more confident in expressing their opinions. So get creative and design the escape room yourself in the classroom, or take it as an exciting opportunity to get out and go on a trip.

Experiments

Engineering can be a very practical science, so it only stands to reason that students should experience it that way. Conducting experiments in class will undoubtedly draw the students’ attention, as it’s something more visual and different from anything else they’re used to. In addition, when students see for themselves how engineering can be applied in the real world, they will be more interested in learning its ins and outs.

This is because even though engineering and maths, for instance, are objective and exact sciences, for many, they can be too ‘abstract’. This means that students might find it difficult to see the practicality of what they learn in class. Doing experiments can change that perspective and interest students in engineering. For example, building a functional pinwheel can help students better understand wheel-and-axle mechanisms, and constructing a set of gears will allow them to develop spatial and mathematical skills.

The options are limitless! Teaching engineering in the classroom requires creativity so that you can engage students in this and other STEM sciences from an early age.

Make Your Activities Appropriate for All Learning Types

The above activities are very hands-on and perfect for those who learn best through practical tasks; however, it’s important to remember that not everyone learns best this way and that engineering isn’t always practical. In addition, the industry is so large and needs many different types of people to function as a whole. Consequently, you must include all kinds of learners in your teaching. For example, consider maths-based activities such as data collections as well as visual learning activities such as engaging videos and TV shows.

Try and cover as many learning types as you can in one session – you never know who you’re going to spark some inspiration in.

Ensuring Everyone is Included

Being inclusive is vital and something that we here at European Springs actively encourage. Engineering is a heavily male-dominated field, with women making up just 14.5% of engineers in the UK as of a report made in June 2021.

The key to levelling out these numbers is inspiring younger generations of women, which starts in the classroom. Just one activity completed in a classroom in primary school could spark an interest in a young girl that stays with her all the way through to choosing her career path as an engineer.

Engineering Apprenticeships at European Springs

At European Springs, we’re proud of our work to inspire and encourage younger generations to get involved in the engineering industry. We take on apprentices each year and work closely with them to develop their skills in an area that interests them. We do this by following a structure of hands-on learning techniques, including:

Shadowing 
Supervised work
Studying
Assessment

If you’re someone considering an engineering apprenticeship, take some inspiration in National Apprenticeship Week and get in touch with the team at European Springs to start your journey.

Additionally, if you’re a teacher, we hope that this article has been helpful, and you now have some fresh ideas for getting your students engaged and interested in this fascinating industry.

As experienced spring manufacturers, not only do we provide unmatched knowledge and advice backed up by our years of experience, but we can help you out by providing quality bespoke pressings, custom springs, and other metal components. Please feel free to contact us to find out more about our products and services – a member of our team will be more than happy to help.

Wave springs are compression springs with a flat design and ‘Multiple waves per turn’ design to the coils.

This combination can significantly increase the compression of this spring compared to other designs. Please read our article to discover how valuable a wave spring can be.

Wave Springs Explained

Instead of rounded coils, wave springs coils are flattened; and each coil is strengthened with an arcing wave pattern for flexibility. This unique design gives the wave spring the same force as its traditional counterpart whilst lighter and smaller.

Compared to its classic competitor, the wave spring is a new invention that didn’t emerge until 50 years ago. Nevertheless, they have quickly risen in popularity and are the preferred choice of spring for many manufacturers.

They can vary from large to small diameters, heavy-duty or light parts. They’re also made from various materials, from carbon steel to more unusual materials for any bespoke requirements. With the ability to configure them to any task, they’ve been used in thousands of different machines in hundreds of industries.

A Wave Spring for Every Job

Along with the standard wave spring, there are several types of wave spring to choose from. The variety of these sub-wave spring types each have their specialities and benefits, so contacting your preferred spring manufacturers and browsing your possible choices is a good idea.

Crest-to-crest wave springs are the full name of the standard wave spring.
Crest-to-crest wave springs + shim ends. Help reduce height more and provide 360-degree surface contact
Single turn wave springs have gap and overlap styles to replace stamp wave washers
Wavo wave springs are the rule-breakers as they have round wire instead of the standard flat for increased forces but at an increased size.
Nested Wave Springs are pre-stacked from a single continuous filament.

Why Wave Springs are Leading the Way

The main benefit a wave spring can bring to your design over traditional coil springs is that it gives you more for less. Choosing wave springs helps optimise your assembly design into a more efficient design.

Compact Design

The primary way they give you more for less is in their physical dimensions. For example, a standard wave spring can be reduced to half the height of your existing coil spring and still do the same job. Additionally, they can have a smaller circumference to fit in tight radial spaces, minimising their cavity size.

Flexible Design

With our extensive experience as wave spring manufacturers, we can certainly attest to the seemingly infinite choices available when designing with wave springs. We have designed wave springs to fit any specifications or assembly requirements. The material type, thickness, and end type are just details that the spring can be customised to suit.

Predictable and Reliable.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a dynamic load or static that your spring needs to hold. A tested wave spring can be trusted to keep to those results for many years of use reliably.

Unique Materials

When you need a wave spring, you need to consider the environment it will be working in. Choosing the wrong material will be an early death sentence for your wave spring, with the environment significantly reducing the spring’s life cycle. Please don’t hesitate to contact our team to discuss which material is suitable for your project.

This more compact design and lightweight assembly can save the manufacturer time and production costs. As a result, the wave spring has become the go-to choice for a compression spring when space is limited.

Be careful when choosing which spring is suitable for you. It’s important to note that wave springs are designed for compression only, so if your design requires springs for suspension, tension or torsion, you will want to consider a different spring design, like the ones on our website.

Where You Could Find Wave Springs

Wave springs have been adopted into various industries worldwide, in everything from:

Aerospace
Car industry
Off-highway
Oil and gas industries

You’d be surprised to find out how many different machines need a wave spring to function. They can be found in everyday objects like the smartwatch on your wrist or in an oil well deep in the earth. As a result, wave springs have become essential to our modern way of life.

The most common use for wave springs is flow valves. Across many different industries, hundreds of companies will be using flow valves that contain wave springs.

Additional use is in vibration isolators. This equipment is essential to help dampen the vibrations and provide predictable loading every time, but it wouldn’t work without the wave spring.

Wave springs have replaced standard coil springs because of the space-saving benefits mentioned earlier in this article. Additionally, the linear style of the spring allows a far greater compression of 80% over the traditional coil.

70 Years of High-Quality Springs

Wave springs are the product of new space-saving technologies that are now replacing the standard coil spring, with Wave springs being smaller and using fewer materials, the benefits to production costs alone.

Here at European Springs, we are committed to assisting our customers with finding the right products for their design or assembly. We also offer a wide range of other high-quality springs in a catalogue online. For more information on wave springs or any of our other springs, pressings, and metal components, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, and a member of our team will be more than happy to help you out.

Category: News & Updates