Springs are an important part of many different industries, including the aerospace industry. They form the backbone of many components and allow planes, drones, satellites, solar panels, aircraft controls, valves, throttles, and more to function their way. Without the spring, the industry would not be the same. Strict military and aviation guidelines mean that all components of the aircraft, including the springs, must be of the highest quality and precision; they support a wide range of applications and reduce part weight while maintaining the highest performance standards.
This makes springs vital to the aerospace industry. Without springs, we wouldn’t be able to have the essentials of aerospace. For example, retractable tray tables, trunk doors, handrails, stairs and cup holders require springs to function. They help open and close many components that wouldn’t exist without them—and, more importantly, springs are some of the main elements of aircraft landing systems. They are also present in satellite dishes and probes that allow navigation and are critical for ground service teams that need to refuel aircraft. You can find springs basically anywhere in the industry, and their absence means that airplanes as we know them don’t exist.
Part of the reason springs are so important in aerospace is that they are very resistant to compression. Aircraft require robust and durable components that do not require frequent maintenance, upgrades or replacements, but are at the same time extremely precise. Many applications in aerospace require the ability to withstand harsh environments on a regular basis, from aircraft that fly around the world every day to satellites orbiting Earth’s atmosphere.
These unique atmospheric conditions, and often corrosive environments, also mean that certain materials need to be used. So one of the advantages of springs is that they can be made from a variety of metals like stainless steel and aluminum, which allows you to choose the one that is most useful without sacrificing quality.
Springs are not “one size fits all”. Instead, you can customize them to your requirements, whatever they are. Because springs are used in many different applications in the field, they need to come in different shapes and sizes – you may need a constant force spring for a specific part, but a dynamic spring for a completely different part. This means that in order to meet the high standards of aerospace, the spring needs to be changed because the same spring would be useless in another application. Springs allow multiple elements of a single plane to function properly, including wheels, fuel system, exhaust diffuser, covers, and fan blades, so springs are needed in this sector, such as torsion, compression, constant torque, separation, extension, and linear, etc.
Meeting industry requirements and standards is imperative, so springs need to be robust and precise. Their ability to withstand the harsh conditions (and the wear and tear of time) of many applications in the industry makes them extremely important not only for aerospace but also for aircraft, probes and satellites.
If you’re still not sure what type of spring you need for your particular application, consult a spring manufacturing professional! Shenzhen Qianye Precision Metal Co., Ltd. is a leader in the design and manufacture of clockwork springs. Custom designs, in-house tooling and precision manufacturing, combined with a wide variety of stock spring options, allow the company to serve a variety of applications from military to medical, high tech and aerospace.
