News & Updates Archives | Page 9 of 75

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.

Nearly half of manufacturing businesses have been the victims of cyber-crime at some point. Since the pandemic, more and more companies have embraced the benefits of using the internet. There are clear advantages when using digital technology to manage your business and conduct e-commerce, but unfortunately, they now come with certain risks, namely the threat of cyber-attacks.

This article will explain cyber-crime, why it’s a threat to your business, and how to protect yourself best.

The Invisible Thief: Cyber-Crime

Cyber-crime has become an umbrella term for any crime committed that was either ‘Cyber-dependant’ or ‘Cyber-enabled.’

Cyber-dependant. Hacking to steal or damage a system or spreading malware for financial gain, for example.

Cyber-enabled. Committing fraud or data theft through computer networks, for example.

With the development of the first computer viruses in the early 1980s, the door was opened to attack other people’s computers. While these initially started as harmless pranks or experiments, they quickly led to harmful criminal activity as the internet grew more popular.

Types of Cyber-Crime

Cybercriminals are vicious and ruthless. Invading systems to take control or exploit private data are the two main goals of these criminals. Additionally, once they have what they want, they will attempt to extort money from you to fix everything. As a result, most businesses never truly recover as the attack causes permanent damage to your company’s reputation.

All of this is money leaving your pocket for no good reason; a sound cyber security system will help you keep that money where it belongs.

What To Watch Out For

With businesses conducting confidential business online and storing valuable information, the temptation has never been higher for cybercriminals. Given a chance, they will not hesitate to damage your system permanently.

Ransomware

Is a type of virus that will prevent your workers from accessing your IT systems. As more businesses incorporate hybrid working with remote systems, this type of attack has increased. Their goal is to hold the system captive until they are paid a substantial sum.

Spyware

Any business holding customer information is a potential target for ransomware. For example, our customer database and custom spring designs are confidential. Without our cybersecurity in place, they would be a vulnerable and tempting target.

Then a successful attack would require you to hire outside experts to verify the data is still confidential or notify the people whose information was leaked.

Data Erasure Malware

Some Cyber-criminals are not in it for the money; some are known as ‘Hacktivists.’ A Hacktivist would want to get a virus into your system to cause chaos. They could erase valuable data like order histories, customer contact details or specifications. They could erase your website without your knowledge, so that it would require reconstruction.

There are many ways to achieve this once they are in, so it’s vital to maintain a sound cyber security plan to keep them out.

How To Protect Yourself

No business is immune to online threats, but protecting yourself from online threats may feel necessary until your luck runs out, that is. The financial cost of the disruption to your business alone is the best-case scenario, and the worst case would be far more expensive. And suddenly, you’ll wish you had taken the time to defend yourself adequately.

Fortunately, in our 70 years of experience as leading bespoke spring manufacturers, we have learnt some good business practices for protecting ourselves online, which we’ve shared below:

Updating your Antivirus Regularly

Taking the time regularly to make sure your software is up to date will ensure you have the most robust defence against any intrusions. Unfortunately, new viruses and hacks are being developed by criminals all the time. The best antivirus software companies will constantly update their software databases to defend against these newly created viruses, but it’s up to you to make sure your update your software.

Additionally, it’s your responsibility to make sure the antivirus software you choose to begin with is the best on the market. You need to imagine this software like hiring a new staff member, one whose sole job is to protect you from online threats and updating your software is training your employee.

We at European Springs and Pressings wholeheartedly recommend investing in your online protection. Investing in your software as much as your staff is securing your long term future, and we believe in developing people for the future.

Passwords and Two-Factor Authentications

Your passwords are like the lock to your home, and you want them both to be as hard to break as possible. Using encrypted passwords will have a significant positive effect on your cyber security. Try using combinations of capital letters, numbers and symbols when possible to make it too complex to guess.

Having a solid password works for a while, but you should change your passwords often. Try doing it the same time you update your antivirus software to create a helpful routine.

Two-factor authentication is a fantastic addition to anyone’s online security and is essential for online businesses. Otherwise known as 2FA, two-factor authentication is the process of alerting a second source that someone is attempting a login. It’s a proven security measure amongst the banking industry and most online eCommerce sites. Most people will have encountered these at some point, such as inputting a code delivered directly to your phone or email.

Investing pays off

Being prepared for cyber threats does mean investing in cyber security, which means increased outlays. Still, as a prominent member of the Institute of Spring Technology and the leading spring manufacturers nationwide, we can attest that investing in your security and keeping it up to date will relieve you of these troubles so you can focus on your business.

We hope that this blog has been helpful and you now have a better understanding of cyber-crime and its threat to the manufacturing industry. If you have any questions or want to learn more about our products and services, please get in touch – we’re always more than happy to help.

The manufacturing industry is constantly changing. With adaptations to reduce carbon footprints and advancements in technology, the sector is continuously tested and expected to keep up with these changes. Often, it’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure that their workers have the latest relevant training.

That is why, in today’s blog, we’re looking into the benefits of upskilling your workforce. First, we will explore what upskilling is and discuss the various advantages this process can bring to your employees and your company.

As leading spring manufacturers in the UK, we have a plethora of knowledge on upskilling within the manufacturing industry. We are proud to have worked with and alongside many apprentices over the years, providing them with the skills and experience they needed to have a successful career in engineering and manufacturing. To learn more and discover how you can get involved with European Springs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we are always more than happy to offer our assistance and expert advice.

What Is Upskilling?

First of all, it’s essential to understand what upskilling means. At first glance, some may believe it is the idea of basic training, but it’s much more than that.

Upskilling is essentially continuous learning, not just an occasional training course, for example. Workplaces will provide various training programs and offer a choice of development opportunities to widen their employees’ abilities and reduce skill gaps. Often, an upskilling strategy is put in place to improve the skills required by employees to complete their current job and expand their skill sets, allowing them to advance in their roles. Additionally, this will enable them to move around the company and take on new challenges. In recent times, employers have utilised upskilling to close the digital gap and ensure that employees are up to speed with the latest technology in the manufacturing field.

Some examples of upskilling include but are not limited to:

Formal education such as degrees and apprenticeship schemes
Internal mentoring and shadowing programs
Virtual or online courses

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of upskilling.

Skills and Service Development

Of course, the main benefit of upskilling is that your employees will get the chance to develop their skills. This is great for everyone involved – workers get to learn something new and employers cultivate a workforce that is up-to-date with the latest training and ready to take on the next challenge. In addition, through upskilling, your employees will come to understand that the manufacturing industry is everchanging. By continuously upskilling your workers, you’re teaching them to be aware of adaptions to their working day in line with technology upgrades and industry standards.

Employee Motivation

Another fantastic benefit of upskilling is the motivation it will give your employees. Through upskilling, you engage your workers and encourage them to excel in their current role whilst potentially offering them other opportunities in the company. When an employee feels demotivated and stuck in their position, unable to see where it leads them, they are much more likely to leave the company. By upskilling and ensuring they have plenty of opportunities, there is a much higher chance of employee loyalty, meaning they will remain with the company for longer. Motivated and happy employees are more likely to enjoy their job, so as their employer, you must be doing what you can to guarantee this.

Increased Productivity

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that upskilling leads to increased productivity in the workplace. As employees are happy, motivated, and satisfied with their role, they are more likely to succeed. This, of course, directly affects the company’s overall productivity and triumph.

By gaining knowledge, skills, and experience in multiple areas, they will become more confident and complete given tasks successfully and to a higher standard. Additionally, these extra skills learnt through training mean less time is spent researching and learning in the long term. If a specific task needs some training, implementing upskilling for the entire workforce will benefit you as the employer. Everyone will then have the knowledge and skills required to complete the task. And more time available means a more productive workforce.

Customer Satisfaction

When we look at the benefits explained above, it is clear that each one leads to customer satisfaction. If your workforce has a team of employees with a high and developed skillset, there is a higher chance they will be able to satisfy your customer’s needs. If your employees are happy and motivated, they will offer better customer service than workers who are unsatisfied with their job and demotivated by their lack of opportunities. A productive workforce means tasks will be completed quickly and to a high standard, which is fantastic for customers.

There is no better time than now to begin upskilling your team. We hope this blog has been helpful, but these are only some of the benefits on a long list of reasons to develop your employee’s skills and services. To stay updated with the latest industry news, please head over to our blog, where we post regular content for industry professionals, apprentices, customers, and clients. It is an excellent resource for anyone interested in learning more about the fascinating and ever-changing world of manufacturing. Finally, please feel free to contact us with any questions about our spring manufacturer services including tension springs, torsion springs and die springs, and ask for our advice on upskilling your company.

As the manufacturing landscape continues to change and adapt to the current climate, it becomes increasingly apparent that university isn’t the only route to a successful career in engineering. Therefore, your workforce needs to be adaptable and think critically about not only programming and tools but digital processes and new technologies.

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we take on apprentices every year, and there are many benefits to having this development plan in place. It helps us stay competitive in our sector, and the time we spend upskilling, training and reskilling is a much more valuable investment than an ongoing recruitment drive.

This blog focuses on engineering apprenticeships, what’s involved, the increased demand for engineers, and why apprenticeships are beneficial to the industry.

What is an Engineering Apprenticeship?

Engineering apprenticeships are courses that provide apprentices with the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills, and experience of a qualified engineer. The program is typically broken down into modules or skills which combine classroom instruction and on-the-job training.

Gain Hands-on Experience

Apprentices learn trade skills from the more experienced staff members and learn to take responsibility and accountability for day-to-day tasks. They are a fantastic addition to your workforce as they can bring a fresh perspective on current processes and operations within your business. Here are a couple of examples of what to expect when you’re training to be an engineer:

Shadowing – qualified engineers will teach you different aspects and methods of completing their work through shadowing. You’ll be able to learn first-hand the correct way to do things and ask questions in real-time.
Supervised Work – gradually, you will be able to complete tasks under supervision, grow your confidence and take responsibility for key aspects of projects. In addition, supervisors will provide you with clear instructions and feedback on these tasks.
Studying – apprenticeships will give you access to the physical nature of the job, as well as classroom-based theory surrounding the topic. This could be a couple of days a week at college or in-house with your fellow coursemates.
Assessment – for the duration of the apprenticeship, you will have a supervisor who will check in regularly and answer any questions you may have. Your supervisor will be responsible for assessing your skills and knowledge on the job, and you will also complete practical exams and coursework throughout the program.

Earn While You Learn

Throughout the apprenticeship training programme, you will be working toward gaining a nationally recognised qualification. The company will pay you for the work you complete, and the amount will depend on your age and how long you have been training. Typically, apprentices can take between 1-4 years to become fully qualified (depending on prior experience and knowledge of engineering).

Our Managing Director Stuart McSheehy speaks about the importance of our apprenticeships: “not only is this a fantastic achievement for personal development, but it also inspires the next generation of engineers and spring makers. With the challenges of 2020 behind us, we are all very proud to present our latest apprentices with their qualifications.”

Take a look at the stories of our most recent apprentices who have successfully achieved either CITY & GUILDS or BTEC qualifications following a nationally recognised manufacturing apprenticeship framework.

The Increased Demand for Engineers

Our sector is facing the largest skills gap in over 30 years. As pressing manufacturers, we have to act and create both short and long term solutions to the problem. The skills gap is widening due to employees retiring faster than the rate of new talent joining the industry.

Businesses with experienced workforces should spend time upskilling and retraining. Automating basic processes will also give you the option to expand in areas such as software and machine learning development. However, it’s important to consider that while investing in this equipment is a positive move, you should also focus on training employees with the skills needed to operate new machinery.

European Springs Developing Engineers for the Future

As leading spring manufacturers, we prioritise upskilling our workforce as it allows us to build on new and existing team skills, increase productivity, and streamline work processes. When you spend time identifying gaps within your team, you can use the data to plan for development, taking into account the equipment or resources you need.

Not only can you inspire the next generation of manufacturers with attractive apprenticeship opportunities, but you can highlight the need for skilled young people in our industry. If you would like any more information about any of the services or products including tension springs, compression springs and disc springs that we provide, contact European Springs with your enquiry. Our experienced team will be happy to answer your questions.