We produce custom springs and wireforms. We do not stock standard parts.
We produce custom springs and wireforms. We do not stock standard parts.
Custom compression springs are helical springs designed to resist axial compressive force, store mechanical energy, and provide controlled force as they are compressed. Ace Wire Spring & Form Co., Inc. manufactures custom compression springs to customer specifications for OEMs, engineers, industrial manufacturers, and purchasing teams.
Compression springs can be manufactured around specific load requirements, spring rates, free lengths, solid heights, wire diameters, end configurations, materials, finishes, tolerances, and operating conditions. Ace supports qualified custom manufacturing projects with spring design assistance, prototypes and samples, secondary services, quality control, and repeat production manufacturing.
Request a Quote for Custom Compression Springs
Ace Wire Spring & Form Co., Inc. manufactures custom compression springs to customer specifications for OEMs, engineers, and industrial manufacturers.
Compression springs are open-coil helical springs designed to resist compressive force, store mechanical energy, and return toward their original length when the load is removed, provided the spring operates within its intended design limits.
Unlike standard catalog springs, custom compression springs are manufactured around the customer’s drawing, sample, dimensions, material requirements, load requirements, tolerances, finish requirements, and application needs.
Ace supports custom compression spring projects from prototype and sample production through repeat production orders. Our team can provide design assistance, manufacturing feedback, and production suggestions based on decades of experience, while final design responsibility remains with the customer.
Ace supports custom compression spring projects from prototype and sample production through repeat production orders. Our team can provide design assistance, manufacturing feedback, and production suggestions based on decades of experience, while final design responsibility remains with the customer.
Compression springs are used when a product or assembly requires a spring that can resist force, absorb energy, maintain pressure, control motion, return a component, or support mechanical movement.
Common applications include:
Depending on the application, a compression spring may be designed to provide a specific load at a given length, operate through a defined range of travel, maintain contact pressure, or return a moving component toward its original position.
The performance of a compression spring depends on the application requirements. Important factors may include outside diameter, inside diameter, free length, solid height, wire size, material, end type, spring rate, load at length, travel, operating environment, cycle life, and tolerance requirements.
A compression spring works by resisting an axial force that pushes its ends toward one another.
As the spring is compressed, it deflects and develops a force opposing the applied load. Within its intended working range, a conventional linear compression spring produces a predictable relationship between applied force and deflection.
Compression springs may be used to return components to position, maintain pressure, control movement, absorb mechanical energy, or support a specific load within an assembly.
The performance of a compression spring depends on several related factors:
Spring rate
Load at a specified length
Free length
Available travel
Solid height
Wire diameter
Coil diameter
Number of active coils
End configuration
Material
Operating environment
Cycle requirements
For an approximately linear compression spring, the basic relationship between force and deflection is:
F = k × x
Where:
F = spring force
k = spring rate
x = deflection from free length
This relationship is useful for understanding spring behavior, but actual performance must be evaluated within the spring’s intended operating range. End conditions, material, stress, coil contact, geometry, and other design considerations can affect the results.
Selecting or designing a compression spring involves more than choosing a diameter and free length.
Engineers should evaluate how the spring will function within the complete assembly, including the required force, available movement, installation space, operating conditions, and expected production requirements.
| Design Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Required load | Defines the force needed at a specified compressed length |
| Spring rate | Determines how force changes as the spring deflects |
| Free length | Establishes the unloaded spring length |
| Solid height | Defines the approximate fully compressed length when coils contact |
| Available travel | Determines the required operating deflection |
| Outside diameter | Helps establish fit within a housing or assembly |
| Inside diameter | Important when the spring operates over a shaft or guide |
| Wire diameter | Influences spring rate, stress, load capacity, and manufacturability |
| Active coils | Affect spring rate and deflection |
| End configuration | Influences seating, alignment, solid height, and assembly fit |
| Material | Affects strength, fatigue, corrosion resistance, and temperature performance |
| Cycle life | Important when the spring is repeatedly compressed |
| Operating environment | Moisture, temperature, chemicals, and corrosion can affect performance |
| Tolerances | Help define functional and manufacturing requirements |
| Quality requirements | Determine inspection, certification, and documentation needs |
| Production quantity | Can affect setup, material planning, and manufacturing approach |
Providing these details early can help identify potential manufacturing or performance concerns before production begins.
Ace provides compression spring design assistance as part of qualified custom manufacturing opportunities.
Customers may come to Ace with a complete drawing, a sample, a failed part, a photo, an incomplete print, or an application problem. Our team can review the available information and help identify details that may affect manufacturability, repeatability, material selection, load performance, solid height, end configuration, tolerances, and production efficiency.
Compression spring performance can be affected by available space, required load, deflection, end type, stress level, wire diameter, material choice, finish requirements, and environmental exposure.
For example, a spring may fit within the available space but produce too much force at the installed length. Another spring may provide the required force but have insufficient travel before approaching solid height.
Reviewing these factors early can help customers evaluate design tradeoffs, improve manufacturability, and prepare more complete specifications for quoting.
Ace provides practical spring manufacturing feedback as part of qualified custom manufacturing projects rather than standalone engineering consulting. Final design validation and application approval remain the responsibility of the customer.
Ace can support prototype compression springs, sample production, and repeat production orders. Prototype and sample compression springs help customers evaluate fit, load performance, deflection, assembly clearance, end configuration, and manufacturability before moving into larger production quantities.
For production orders, Ace supports customers that need consistent repeatability, domestic manufacturing, scheduled releases, quantity break pricing, and blanket order programs. This makes Ace a strong fit for customers that need custom compression springs manufactured to specification over time, not one-time retail replacement parts.
A prototype allows the customer to evaluate how the spring performs within the actual assembly before larger production quantities are approved.
Prototype evaluation may help identify:
Prototyping does not replace engineering validation or application testing. It provides an opportunity to evaluate the design and identify concerns before moving into larger production quantities.
For production orders, Ace supports customers that need repeatability, domestic manufacturing, scheduled releases, quantity-break pricing, and blanket order programs.
This makes Ace a strong fit for customers who need custom compression springs manufactured to specification over time rather than one-time retail replacement parts.
Compression springs can lose performance or fail prematurely when the spring design, material, operating conditions, or installation do not match the application’s requirements.
Potential causes include:
A compression spring can fit an assembly dimensionally while still providing the wrong force, insufficient travel, or inadequate service life.
For qualified manufacturing projects, Ace can review drawings, samples, failed springs, available specifications, and operating requirements to help identify information needed for a custom manufacturing solution.
Ace manufactures custom compression springs using materials selected around the requirements of the application.
There is no single spring material that is best for every compression spring.
Material selection may depend on:
Common materials considered for compression springs include music wire, stainless steel, oil-tempered wire, chrome silicon, and specialty alloys.
For example, music wire may be appropriate for many high-strength applications in controlled environments, while stainless steel may be considered when corrosion resistance is important. Chrome silicon may be considered for demanding high-stress or high-cycle applications, depending on the complete design.
Specialty alloys may be evaluated when temperature, corrosion, or other operating conditions require material properties beyond those provided by standard spring steels.
Material selection should always be considered together with spring geometry, load requirements, stress, and the operating environment.
For additional information, visit Ace’s Spring Material Guide and Wire Size and Material Ranges resources.
Compression springs may require secondary operations or protective finishes depending on the application.
Ace’s secondary services may include:
The appropriate operation depends on material, dimensional requirements, operating conditions, and customer specifications.
Customers should include material requirements, finish specifications, coating requirements, and quality documentation needs when requesting a quote.
Quality requirements are an important consideration for OEM and industrial compression spring manufacturing.
Ace Wire Spring & Form Co., Inc. maintains an ISO 9001:2015-certified quality management system and is ITAR registered.
Depending on the project, customer requirements may include:
Identifying these requirements during the quoting process helps ensure they can be evaluated before production begins.
Learn more about Ace’s Quality Control capabilities.
Ace is a strong fit for engineers, OEMs, purchasing teams, and industrial buyers that need custom compression springs manufactured to specifications. Ace is especially well suited for projects involving drawings, samples, prototypes, repeat production, tight tolerance requirements, load requirements, domestic manufacturing, quality documentation, secondary services, blanket order planning, or ITAR registered supplier needs.
Ace may not be the right fit for customers looking for standard catalog compression springs, retail replacement springs, one-piece hobby orders, or immediate off-the-shelf inventory. Ace is a custom manufacturer, not a stock spring distributor.
To request a quote for a custom compression spring, send the available drawing, sample, photo, dimensions, material requirements, load requirements, tolerances, finish requirements, application details, quality requirements, quantities, and expected production needs. If the project is still early stage, Ace can review the available information and help identify what may be needed to quote, prototype, or manufacture the spring.
For more detailed guidance, visit the Request a Quote Tips page.
Custom compression springs are helical springs manufactured to customer specifications to resist axial compressive force, store mechanical energy, control movement, or return components toward their original position. They may be manufactured around specific dimensions, load requirements, spring rates, materials, end configurations, finishes, tolerances, and application requirements.
A compression spring develops force as it is compressed along its axis. Within its intended operating range, the spring resists the applied load and stores mechanical energy that can be released as the spring returns toward its unloaded length.
Compression spring rate is the change in spring force per unit of deflection. It is commonly expressed in pounds per inch or newtons per millimeter. For a conventional linear compression spring, a higher spring rate means more force is required to produce the same amount of compression.
Compression spring load is commonly specified as the force required at a particular compressed length. Providing load requirements at one or more operating lengths helps establish the required spring performance and supports design and manufacturing review.
Solid height is the approximate length of a compression spring when its coils are brought into contact with one another. Solid height is an important design consideration because the spring must have sufficient available travel for its intended operating conditions.
Compression springs can be manufactured in cylindrical, conical, barrel, hourglass, and other application-specific configurations. The appropriate configuration depends on load requirements, available space, stability, travel, and manufacturing considerations.
Common compression spring end configurations include plain, plain and ground, closed, and closed and ground ends. End configuration affects seating, alignment, effective coil count, solid height, and other spring characteristics.
Potential causes include excessive compression, high stress, fatigue, operation too close to solid height, buckling, misalignment, corrosion, elevated temperature, improper material selection, and operating conditions beyond the original design assumptions.
Loss of force may result from permanent set, stress relaxation, material changes caused by temperature exposure, fatigue damage, or operation outside the intended design range. The cause should be evaluated in relation to the spring material, geometry, load, and operating environment.
Compression springs may be manufactured from music wire, stainless steel, oil-tempered wire, chrome silicon, and specialty alloys. Material selection depends on required load, stress, fatigue expectations, temperature, corrosion exposure, manufacturing requirements, and cost.
Yes. Ace provides compression spring design assistance and manufacturing feedback as part of qualified custom manufacturing opportunities. Final design and application responsibility remain with the customer.
Yes. Ace supports prototype compression springs and sample production to help customers evaluate fit, load performance, spring rate, travel, clearance, end configuration, and manufacturability before larger production quantities are approved.
Ace can review physical samples, photos, dimensions, and available application information for qualified custom manufacturing projects. Providing known load requirements, material information, operating conditions, and production quantities can help with the review.
No. Ace manufactures custom compression springs to customer specifications and does not stock standard catalog compression springs or retail replacement parts.
Helpful information includes drawings, samples, dimensions, free length, wire diameter, material, load requirements, spring rate, solid height, end configuration, finish, tolerances, operating conditions, quantities, and quality requirements.
Compression Springs are open-coil helical springs that offers resistance to a compressive force applied axially. Helical compression springs are used to resist applied compression forces or to store energy in a push mode. Compression springs have the most common configuration and are most commonly used in automotive, aerospace and consumer applications. Most compression springs are a straight cylindrical spring made of round wire. Ace Wire Spring & Form, a manufacturer of compression springs produces a variety of compression types, shapes, and specific specifications. Click here for compression springs specifications.
Compression springs from a manufacturer come in a variety of types including: Conical Compression, Barrel, Hourglass and Cylindrical shapes and may have various spacing or no spacing at all between coils.
Wire Selection: rectangular, round, square or special-section. Round being the most adaptable.
Compression Spring Mandatory Specification: the functional design characteristics.
Compression Spring Secondary Specification: the secondary characteristics, which is useful for reference and should be considered advisory data.
Dimensional Limits: governed by the space allotted with regard to allowable solid height and outside and inside diameters.
Spring Stress Level: determined by the dimensional limits together with the load and deflection requirements. Our compression springs are stress-relieved to remove residual bending stresses produced by the coiling operation.
For Compression Springs – Rate which is the change in load per unit deflection, may be determined by the following procedure:
The solid height of compression springs is defined as the length of the spring when under sufficient load to bring all coils into contact with the adjacent coils and additional load causes not further deflection. Solid height should be specified by the user as a maximum, with the actual number of coils in the spring to be determined by the spring manufacturer. As square or rectangular wire is coiled, the wire cross-section deforms slightly into a keystone or trapezoidal shape, which increased the solid height considerably. The dimensional change is a function of the spring index and the thickness of the material.
This video shows how Compression Springs are manufactured.
For more information about compression springs or to talk to one of our experts call 1-800-828-3353.
ACE specializes in custom precision springs and wire forms, offering a distinct advantage by utilizing the most advanced spring design software. ACE validates each existing and new design, notifying the customer with our recommendations.
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