Spring Design on Product Longevity

Springs don’t get the spotlight – but they should. When a compression spring performs the way it’s supposed to, no one notices. When it doesn’t? That’s when the real damage starts. Failed springs lead to broken products, service calls, lost revenue, and frustrated customers.

At Automated Wire Products, we’ve built our reputation on a single principle: get the spring right from the start. And not just any spring: ground compression springs made to your exact specs. When the design is solid, the product holds up.

Why Spring Design Impacts Product Life

A compression spring’s geometry, material, and loading characteristics all affect how long the product lasts. These aren’t theoretical factors; they play out every day in the field.

Springs are under constant load. They absorb force, manage movement, and cycle thousands – sometimes millions – of times over their lifespan. The wrong stress levels, incorrect material, or poor design choices will wear them down faster than expected.

Skipping critical design steps leads to premature failure. Building for longevity requires intentional spring design from day one.

Compression springs play a key role in systems that can’t afford downtime. In hydraulic applications, for example, consistent force control is essential to maintaining pressure balance and system responsiveness. If a spring degrades or loses strength too early, that performance disappears.

Design Factors That Influence Spring Longevity

Several core variables determine how a spring performs over time. Getting these right sets the foundation for reliable product performance.

Material Selection

AWP offers over 300 material options, all purchased to ASTM specifications and backed by permanent certification records. Common materials include:

• Music wire and galvanized music wire
• 17-7 and T316 stainless steel
• Chrome vanadium and chrome silicon
• Carbon valve wire and hard drawn wire

Each material has a different response to temperature, stress, corrosion, and fatigue. Matching material to the application’s mechanical and environmental demands is a critical first step.

For instance, stainless steel is a strong choice for high-moisture environments, while valve-quality chrome silicon wire offers enhanced fatigue resistance in high-load, high-cycle applications.

Stress and Load Control

Excessive internal stress is a top contributor to spring failure. Load conditions – how much force is applied, how often, and at what intervals – determine how fast a spring wears out.

AWP’s compression springs support forces up to 500 lbs. and are coiled to spring indexes ranging from 3 to 20+. Our engineering team reviews each spring design to confirm it can handle the applied loads without risk of permanent deformation, collapse, or early fatigue.

Load cycling also matters. Dynamic applications that demand repeated compressions over time must be evaluated differently than static load-bearing designs. Factoring in operating conditions early leads to better decisions about preload, working deflection, and stress margins.

Geometry and Tolerances

Spring shape plays a large role in how stress is distributed during compression. A helical spring performs differently than a conical, barrel, or hourglass shape. Choosing the right geometry based on assembly configuration, available space, and force requirements leads to smoother operation and fewer mechanical issues down the line.

AWP holds squareness to ±1° or better and grind-free length to within ±.002. That level of precision helps maintain long-term stability, especially in systems where tight tolerances prevent drift or misalignment.

Our process also accommodates springs that require one or more presetting compressions to a solid or fixed height. This allows us to stabilize load performance and eliminate settling behavior that can shorten lifespan in the field.

Manufacturing Consistency

Springs that perform well in testing need to perform just as well in full production. AWP’s CNC dual point coilers, video free length monitoring systems, and in-line sorting chutes create the consistency required to support real-world durability.

Each spring is coiled, ground, preset, and inspected using the same processes from prototype to final delivery. That repeatability means there’s no gap between what engineers approve and what ends up in the final product.

When needed, we also offer surface treatments like plating and shot peening to extend service life in corrosive or high-stress environments.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

Spring design isn’t just a mechanical detail. It has a direct impact on product quality, user experience, and long-term reliability. Skipping thorough design reviews or cutting corners on material selection can lead to:

• Warranty claims and product returns
• Equipment downtime and unexpected field failures
• Damage to brand reputation and customer trust
• Increased production costs due to rework or redesign

In industries like construction, powersports, agriculture, and fluid power, spring performance can make or break the product.

How AWP Builds Springs That Last

At AWP, we focus on one thing and do it exceptionally well: round wire ground compression springs. Our team is involved from the very beginning to review your design, provide feedback on manufacturability, and recommend improvements that contribute to durability and ease of assembly.

We use SMI Advanced Spring Design software to validate each spring’s stress, deflection, and fatigue characteristics before prototyping. Our prototypes are built using the same CNC-controlled equipment and tooling used in production, giving you a clear view of how the spring will perform at scale.

With automated mechanical presetting, crush and downfeed grinding, and full SPC monitoring throughout the process, we’re able to deliver consistent quality—even on complex or high-volume orders.

Lead times for prototypes average 10 days or less, and we can often turn around same-day deliveries for select projects.

A Long Life Starts with the Right Spring

Every product relies on its components to last, and compression springs are no exception. The right design, materials, and manufacturing process make all the difference.

AWP brings the engineering support, technical expertise, and process control needed to build springs that perform under pressure. If your application demands reliability and repeatability, we’re here to help.

Contact us today to request a quote or talk with our team about your next spring design.