Simple wave or spring washers, as they are commonly known, are traditionally manufactured by die-stamping from annealed sheet metal and then hardened by an austempering process. They are formed using bespoke tooling in an irregular shape so that, when loaded, they act like a spring, deflecting and providing a pre-load between two surfaces. This characteristic can be used to pre-load shafts or bearings, absorb shock, or compensate for dimensional variations.
This type of wave washer has been used worldwide for almost a century and will continue to be in demand where non-critical control of load and space restriction is not an issue. However modern enhanced quality standards and the onward march towards a more compact and lighter end-product means that today’s designers are demanding ever increasing levels of load control and tighter space envelopes in which the springs must operate. Traditional die-stamped methods of manufacture cannot reliably offer these features, however, TFC’s Smalley edge wound wave springs can provide the solution.
- Wave springs reduce spring height by 50%
- Same force and deflection as ordinary coil / compression springs
- Wave springs fit tight radial and axial spaces
- Over 4,000 standard springs in carbon and stainless steel (¼" to 16", 6 mm to 400 mm diameters)
- No Tooling Charges™ on custom designs (.200" to 120", 5 mm to 3000 mm diameters)
- Exotic alloys available
