{"id":18066,"date":"2020-10-01T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/?p=18066"},"modified":"2020-10-01T13:03:40","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T12:03:40","slug":"how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/","title":{"rendered":"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Design engineers are constantly innovating to develop medical devices that improve patient care. For example, wearable technologies can track a variety of parameters, such as electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. However, more complex devices also mean more space restraints. Simon Ward reports<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more than 500,000 medical technologies on the market, from thermometers to mechanical ventilators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Products typically have a short lifecycle of around 18 to 24 months before an improved version becomes available \u2014design engineers in this sector are constantly innovating to improve patient care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example of rapid innovation is wearable technologies, which are now available to track everything from patient blood pressure to walking gait, electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the board, we are seeing innovation in tools and technology for prevention, diagnosis and management of diseases. As the use of digital technology in medical applications rise, engineers are designing new, innovative products to aid patient welfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When innovation makes technology more complex, design engineers are often challenged with device size, particularly when integrating all the mechanical components into a practical size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, traditional coil springs may be too large for medical technologies that are designed to be small and lightweight \u2014 causing the design engineer to consider alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are springs used for?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Springs are used in numerous medical products. They are commonly used as a return spring on a function button \u2014 they can also be used to maintain electrical contact or to compensate for assembly tolerances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, coil springs have been used in these applications, but the tides are beginning to turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An alternative option is a crest to crest wave spring, which like coil springs apply force axially when compressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wave springs are a great space saving technology, as they require less than half of the space needed for a coil spring \u2014 providing the same spring force at a smaller operating height. This in turn reduces the spring cavity, which is helpful when working with tight space constraints. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wave springs can therefore be a great asset to a designer of handheld instruments and tools, or wearable devices, who is looking to design a lightweight, compact and balanced product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing a wave spring<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crest-to-Crest wave springs are one option for medical applications requiring lower spring rates. Another precise and reliable option is a single-turn wave spring, which is useful if the application involves short deflections and low-medium forces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a straight load bearing system is required, linear springs may be a good option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, engineers cannot simply swap between a coil and wave spring. The designer should be aware that when load is applied to a wave spring, the waves flatten to provide upward force, whereas a coil spring twists as it compresses, meaning not all of the force is aligned with the axis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A wave spring expert like TFC can help point you in the right direction when designing the product into your application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Custom options<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smalley wave springs are manufactured in several different forms, with a range of spring characteristics. If there is not a suitable off the shelf option available, designers can opt for a custom wave spring \u2014 changing the number of turns or waves, material, size\u2014 to meet specific product needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most popular materials for wave springs in medical applications are 302 and 316 stainless steel, as they can withstand the higher temperatures applied during cleaning and sterilisation processes, without any compromise to spring properties. They are also ISO 13485:2016 certified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wave springs in practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example of a successful application was the design of Crest-to-Crest springs for insulin pens, which help control and measure the dosage injected into a patient. TFC has also supplied springs for surgical and dental tools that use high speed precision bearings <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may take several design iterations before the wave spring is the perfect fit for the application. TFC recommends that design engineers work closely with a wave spring specialist for support and advice, to achieve the best possible solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simon Ward is technical manager at fastening and fixing supplier TFC<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Design engineers are constantly innovating to develop medical devices that improve patient care. For example, wearable technologies can track a variety of parameters, such as electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. However, more complex devices also mean more space restraints. Simon Ward reports There are more than 500,000 medical technologies on the market, from thermometers to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18071,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8874,1253,7458,8393],"class_list":["post-18066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-process","tag-crest-to-crest-wave-springs","tag-medical-applications","tag-tfc","tag-wave-springs"],"yoast_head":"\nHow designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs - Engineer News Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Design engineers are constantly innovating to develop medical devices that improve patient care. For example, wearable technologies can track a variety of parameters, such as electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. However, more complex devices also mean more space restraints. Simon Ward reports\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs - Engineer News Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Design engineers are constantly innovating to develop medical devices that improve patient care. For example, wearable technologies can track a variety of parameters, such as electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. However, more complex devices also mean more space restraints. Simon Ward reports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Engineer News Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-01T08:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-01T12:03:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Wave.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"455\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1\"},\"headline\":\"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-01T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-01T12:03:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":683,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Wave.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Crest-to-Crest wave springs\",\"medical applications\",\"TFC\",\"wave springs\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Process\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/\",\"name\":\"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs - Engineer News Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Wave.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-01T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-01T12:03:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1\"},\"description\":\"Design engineers are constantly innovating to develop medical devices that improve patient care. For example, wearable technologies can track a variety of parameters, such as electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. However, more complex devices also mean more space restraints. Simon Ward reports\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Wave.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/09\\\/Wave.jpg\",\"width\":1048,\"height\":455,\"caption\":\"The benefits of wave springs for medical applications. Image: TFC\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Engineer News Network\",\"description\":\"The ultimate online news and information resource for today's engineer\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs - Engineer News Network","description":"Design engineers are constantly innovating to develop medical devices that improve patient care. For example, wearable technologies can track a variety of parameters, such as electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. However, more complex devices also mean more space restraints. Simon Ward reports","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs - Engineer News Network","og_description":"Design engineers are constantly innovating to develop medical devices that improve patient care. For example, wearable technologies can track a variety of parameters, such as electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. However, more complex devices also mean more space restraints. Simon Ward reports","og_url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/","og_site_name":"Engineer News Network","article_published_time":"2020-10-01T08:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-10-01T12:03:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1048,"height":455,"url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Wave.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1"},"headline":"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs","datePublished":"2020-10-01T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-01T12:03:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/"},"wordCount":683,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Wave.jpg","keywords":["Crest-to-Crest wave springs","medical applications","TFC","wave springs"],"articleSection":["Process"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/","url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/","name":"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs - Engineer News Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Wave.jpg","datePublished":"2020-10-01T08:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-01T12:03:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1"},"description":"Design engineers are constantly innovating to develop medical devices that improve patient care. For example, wearable technologies can track a variety of parameters, such as electrolyte levels and heart rhythms. However, more complex devices also mean more space restraints. Simon Ward reports","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Wave.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Wave.jpg","width":1048,"height":455,"caption":"The benefits of wave springs for medical applications. Image: TFC"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/how-designers-can-reduce-the-size-of-devices-with-wave-springs\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How designers can reduce the size of devices with wave springs"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/","name":"Engineer News Network","description":"The ultimate online news and information resource for today's engineer","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1","name":"admin","url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18066"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18066\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18083,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18066\/revisions\/18083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}