European Springs Web Team, Author at European Springs

It’s no secret that the world is not the same place as it was two years ago. The effects of Covid-19 swept across the globe and changed our lives in a multitude of ways. Our work lives changed as industries faced the unprecedented times and were forced to cope with the new way of living and working.

One of the most affected industries was manufacturing; as supply chain issues built up, so did demand, which left companies all over the UK struggling to cope. Unfortunately, the industry lost many businesses during the pandemic – but it’s not all doom and gloom. Coronavirus gave the manufacturing sector the chance to show its resilience.

Here at European Springs, we’re firm believers that the manufacturing industry is built with strong people who can pull through the worst times. The way that many UK manufacturers, including ourselves, coped during the pandemic proved that.

Today, we’re looking into the resilience of the manufacturing industry and how it coped with the setbacks and changes.

How Did the Pandemic Affect the Manufacturing Industry in the UK?

One of the most significant impacts the pandemic had on the manufacturing industry was the supply chain. Materials were difficult to get hold of due to supply issues such as the decrease in materials produced by companies because of the covid restrictions and staff absences.

This had a knock-on effect and impacted the entire manufacturing line. For example:

Delayed deliveries. Even though delays were expected during the unprecedented times, it didn’t mean that they weren’t met with disappointed and angry customers. Not only were customer deliveries delayed, but all deliveries were delayed, which meant manufacturers had to wait for their suppliers.
Rising costs. Due to the disruption that the pandemic had caused to businesses, many were forced to up their prices. Again, this had a knock-on effect, and suppliers increased their costs, which meant manufacturing became incredibly expensive for both the customer and the production line.

Increased Risk and Uncertainty. The world stood still, and many of us were left questioning everything: when we could see family and friends again, when we could return to work when our businesses could re-open. Business owners had a high level of risk involved in their job as one wrong move, and their company could have collapsed.

Other Struggles the Industry Faced

As well as the setback of Covid-19, the manufacturing industry is still dealing with the effects of Brexit. Due to the long list of ever-changing rules and regulations, there was a lot of confusion surrounding deliveries, supply chain issues, customs, and frequent protocol changes. Because of this, the industry took a huge hit, and unfortunately, many manufacturing businesses shut down. This, however, did not help the situation, as although delays were aplenty, demand was higher than ever, so as more businesses closed and the labour shortage rose, more struggled under the weight of the ever-growing list of issues.

How Did the Manufacturing Industry React to These Struggles?

For companies who provide specialist products and services such as bespoke spring manufacturers like ourselves, resilience was at the forefront of our drive to push through and still deliver our fantastic service and high-quality products despite the struggles.

As spring manufacturers, our products are required in a long list of various industries, from defence to agriculture to the medical sector and everything in between. At first, it was difficult for manufacturing companies like ourselves to adjust to this high demand, so many companies did not recover.

On top of this, as mentioned, due to illness and covid restrictions, many companies were understaffed. The labour shortage was something that many businesses struggled with and meant that remaining staff members were under pressure, resulting in stress and frustration.

How Did the Industry Recover?

At multiple points over the last two years, it has seemed like it has been one thing after another, which meant it has been challenging to see how the situation was ever going to improve. However, in early 2022, we can finally say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and recent surveys amongst the manufacturing industry have proven just how resilient the sector can be.

Output balance reached a peak and have risen by 42%, which was a huge relief to the industry. In addition to this, jobs are continuing to grow by 23% – a fantastic indicator that we are continuing to inspire people to join our resilient industry and become part of a sector they’re proud to be in.

We, too, are proud to be part of the manufacturing industry here at European Springs. We’re not just torsion spring manufacturers, tension spring manufacturers, or providers of pressings and wire forms; we’re part of a bigger picture and are living proof of the strength of manufacturers in the UK.

To join our team as one of our apprentices or learn more about our work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, and we will be more than happy to point you in the right direction.

When you’re deciding the required specification of your springs for a new project, you need to consider the environment, life expectancy and required load. As an experienced spring manufacturer, we know there is a spring for every job.

In this article, we will be looking at torsion springs – one of the many spring types we manufacture here at European Springs & Pressings!

What are Torsion Springs?

Torsion springs are a different type of spring from your typical spring. These coiled springs work by a twisting motion; this rotational movement is known as ‘torsion’ hence the name.

The most popular design for a torsion spring is the helical looped design. This spring type is used when your design needs an angular movement rather than your classic style with a compression spring.

How Is A Torsion Spring Designed And Manufactured?

The helical loop is the most common design for a torsion spring. This design is made by coiling wire and twisting it tighter and tighter. Then, finally, a sideways force is applied to either the right-hand helix or the left.

As a leading company in torsion spring manufacturing in the UK, we offer torsion springs in all shapes and sizes. Any specification can be manufactured to your specific requirements, large, small, double, single or extended length coils.

The production time of this spring is significantly faster than other spring designs due to it needing only one type of machine.

Different Types of Torsion Springs

There isn’t just one type of torsion spring. Most Torsion spring manufacturers will stock different types of this spring, and the most popular is the double coil. The double coil torsion spring is two standard single-coil springs merged to create a double coil spring. This variation is for specifications that require double the torque than the single coil.

What Makes Torsion Springs So Useful?

Where your classic spring works on the idea of squeezing and expanding, the torsion spring is the idea of being somewhat flexible but always returning to its original shape.

For example, most door hinges will have torsion springs in them. This spring brings the door closed again or at least allowed it to bounce back on its hinge to a neutral position. You can open a torsion spring with some force, but it will always bring itself back closed when left alone.

The official description is a torsion spring has a linear characteristic. The torque is equal to force x leg length: M=F x A. the further down the leg, the more pressure is applied, the less counter force is applied.

What Industries Use Torsion Springs?

The unique qualities of torsions springs make them such a popular tool across various industries. Able to do their job in multiple sizes and materials, their versatility has led them to be used in construction to medical industries and many more.

In the agricultural and construction industries, the torsion spring can bring the durability and versatility needed to perform consistently in such a hardworking environment. These springs are used in tractors, ploughs, fertiliser equipment and sprayers. No one wants to change parts or repair equipment constantly, so a sturdy spring like a torsion one is essential.

In the motor industry, you’ll find mostly chrome silicon torsion springs. This material with this spring design allows for smooth motion and tension along the entire spring. You’ll find these springs in the assembly for gear shifters, clutches, valves and the suspension system.

The need for a highly durable spring in the medical sector is vital— the ability to have a high-quality mico torsion spring for intricate equipment is essential. High carbon steel is used in most torsion springs for the medical industry for this very reason. Torsion springs can be applied in hospital beds, dental equipment, wheelchair lifts and hundreds of other pieces of equipment.

Where Have You Used Torsion Springs?

Door hinges have small torsion springs in them, as mentioned earlier, but garage doors have a different way of using these springs. When a garage door is closed, the torsion springs connected are stretched and will be storing considerable energy in them (In this case, the door’s weight). When opening a garage door, the spring takes the weight as it closes again.

Retractable seats are another item that needs torsion springs to work. Any time you leave a stadium or cinema seat and the seat you were on folds itself up, that’s a torsion spring pulling the seat to the backrest.

Your average clipboard would be more complicated if it weren’t for torsion springs. That pressure you feel when prizing open the clip, you are exerting force on the spring. The spring will hold your papers tight once you let go because that’s its natural position.

If you need standard torsion springs in a fine to medium weight category, please browse our spring catalogue to find the correct spring for your project. Or contact us today to discuss with one of our team members creating bespoke torsion springs with your unique requirements.

Dozens of manufacturing firms have been claiming back tens of thousands in tax relief thanks to new R&D tax credits. By choosing to claim R&D expenditure credit, you can benefit from Corporation tax relief on your company’s future research and development costs. Read further to learn how these tax credits could help the future of your business.

What is Research and Development Tax?

Research and Development expenditure credit is otherwise known as RDEC. R&D expenditure credit replaced the large company scheme and changed the rules and applications.

This credit relief is designed to support companies working on innovative projects in technology and science in general. Any innovation can be boiled down to a simple process of resolving uncertainty. Every new creation had to address something in the world that was not quite right and fix it, and this is what reliefs like RDEC want to support.

This can be companies developing new business components, products, software and inventions. The desired result is an increase in new or improved performance, functionality and quality in general.

The research and development expenditure credit was initially 11% of your qualifying R&D spending. It was increased in January 2018 to 12%, then finally 13% in April 2020

As of writing this article, the credit is calculated as 13% out of your qualifying R&D expenditure. Additionally, these expenditures must be incurred after 1/04/2020. This resulting figure is taxable, and depending on your companies status, the credit could be used against the liability or result in a cash payment.

Research and Development Criteria

The RDEC can be claimed by a range of companies working in science, manufacturing and technology. If your company has plans to research, develop, and advance in your field, you may qualify for R&D criteria. As bespoke spring manufacturers, we have a lot of experience with the R&D process required to fulfil our client’s orders.

R&D work must be part of a planned project related to the companies trade to qualify for R&D relief. It can be associated with a current or future trade, but it must be practical; economics, pure maths and other theoretical fields are ineligible.

When determining if your project is worthy of R&D relief, there are several requirements to consider. First, you should ask yourself, did your project:

Overcome uncertainty? Succeed or fail was there uncertainty to its success?
Prove challenging to accomplish for a professional in the field?
Look for a way to improve the field with science and technology?

Which Businesses Can Claim?

Almost any business can apply for these tax reliefs – software engineering groups, spring manufacturers, even construction companies. The focus is on what your R&D project plans to innovate in your field.

There are many different types of R&D relief, such as RDEC. And the size of your company will dictate which is appropriate for you.

SME R&D Relief

If you’re a small and medium-sized enterprise (or SME), you may claim this credit relief, but only if you have a turnover of under 100 million euros or a balance sheet total under 86 million euros. Additionally, you must also have less than 500 staff under your employment.

If your company is loss-making, then the SME R&D relief lets you claim a tax credit of up to £14.5% of the surrenderable loss. Also, you may deduct 130% of your qualifying costs from your yearly profit. This 130% is in addition to the usual 100% deduction to bring you to a total of 230% deduction.

Remember to consider any linked companies/partnerships when investigating these requirements.

RDEC

You may also claim this credit under certain conditions as a small-medium enterprise. You are eligible to apply for the research and development expenditure credit If you have been subcontracted to complete any R&D work for a larger company. Also, you are eligible to apply if you have received a subsidy or grant for your R&D project.

How Can I Claim?

To claim your RDEC relief, you will need to enter your expenditure into the Full company tax return form (CT600). This form will only apply to the current tax year it’s filled in, so be aware that you will need to submit a separate claim if your project takes longer.

To apply for your claim, you will need to have a GOV.UK gateway user ID and password and all the information on your R&D project, and you must prove it meets the R&D requirements mentioned above.

When applying for your RDEC credit, the main goal is to allow you to offset the tax you owe to HMRC and before and R&D tax relief is paid. This way, Loss-making and profit-making companies are treated the same when claiming.

At Europen springs and pressings, we believe in innovation and growth in the industry. The only way to succeed is to keep pushing those limits to achieve outstanding quality and efficiency. Our many years working to develop new techniques, products and our work with apprenticeships has shown us that only through improvement can anyone succeed in business.

With the broadest range of compressions springs, tensions springs and torsion springs in the UK in our catalogue, we are confident that we can fulfil any of your needs. Please contact us online today or call us on 0208 663 1800 to discuss how we can help your company.

Many manufacturing companies are discovering the benefits of adopting a sub-assembly process. The sub-assembly process has become the much-needed solution for manufacturers in many sectors, from aerospace to construction.

European Springs is proud of the sub-assembly process we provide; read on to learn what sub-assembly is, why it’s so effective and perhaps discover how it could help your business.

What is the difference between sub-assembly and assembly?

Firstly there are two titles for this process, subassembly manufacturing and sub-assembly manufacturing. However, despite the two names, it’s the same process.

Sub-assembly is the process where you combine pre-made pieces into your final product. These pre-made pieces are known as an assembly. Assembly is a common term assigned to an OEM (or original equipment manufacturer) who creates complete parts or products.

An assembly is essentially the process of manufacturing a finished product. Assemblies can be combined to create larger sub-assemblies and components until your final product is made.

Benefits of Sub-Assembly

The sub-assembly process has proven to be a valuable improvement to the workflows of many businesses. Choosing to outsource your sub-assembly manufacturing operations to a third party can bring many benefits, for example:

It reduces production time. Outsourcing to third parties will allow many of your components to be made simultaneously. Additionally, the creation of the final piece is much faster, with many parts completed before they even arrive.

It lowers production and equipment costs. In addition, with third parties being contracted to complete these sub-assemblies, this leaves your companies resources free to be redirected into other needs.

Finding third parties with access to specialist equipment will eliminate your need to buy it. Embracing third parties in your process will also reduce your staff training requirements for new techniques and tools.

Improved accuracy is also a benefit of sub-assembly. The whole concept of sub-assembly is essentially breaking the problem down into manageable small pieces. By using a system where manufacturing teams only need to focus on one part of the project, they can study and become experts. Unless your staff must be aware of the whole process, we always recommend breaking it down into these manageable categories.

Different types of sub-assembly

During our many years of manufacturing bespoke stampings, we learnt that there just isn’t one single process to this system. Instead, our skilled engineers at European Springs and Pressings can offer a range of strategies customised for your sub-assembly needs.

We offer single operation assembly techniques for fully automated processes. In a single operation assembly technique, only a single model product is produced in this line. Our fully automated processes adapt to high product demand. Each approach has its own merits, so contact us today to discuss your needs with us.

Tapping

Tapping is a well known and highly efficient manufacturing process. The tapping method is cutting a thread inside a hole so that you can easily thread a screw cap or bolt into the hole. Additionally, you can use it to put a thread on the nuts for increased hold. Using tapping helps reduce machine downtime giving higher cutting speeds and longer tool life.

The material you choose, the coating and geometry are all significant decisions for your forming or cutting taps. A tap made in a certain way with certain materials may not be as effective as you would hope. Don’t be afraid to talk to us first to discuss your goal, and we can make sure you get the right combination.

Tapping is the most common thread profile, appropriate for all machine types. Whether it’s a rotating or non-rotating component, tapping is a great idea to include.

Resistance and Ultrasonic Welding

Resistance welding is used for joining two metals. A welding head applies pressure to the metal between the two electrodes at its head. The resistance utilises heat to create friction heat where it’s used. This is achieved because the electric current at the head tries to move through the metal. The heat is from the metal’s resistance, and the friction is localised at the contact point.

Ultrasonic welding is when two materials (metal or plastic) are joined without melting. It’s called solid-state welding.

High-frequency mechanical vibrations pass through both materials, causing them to slide on top of each other. This creates its own form of heat friction and bonds the two materials together.

The benefit we enjoy from using ultrasonic welding is that it’s the fastest welding technique available.

Experts in Mechanical Assembly

As experienced spring manufacturers, we promise to deliver a premium service for all our customers. Our sub-assembly team is one of many teams that specialise in creating custom and prototype work from bespoke springs to bespoke wire forms and pressings.

If you need the services of our sub-assembly team, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch and discuss your needs.

Wave springs are compression springs with a flat design and ‘Multiple waves per turn’ design to the coils.

This combination can significantly increase the compression of this spring compared to other designs. Please read our article to discover how valuable a wave spring can be.

Wave Springs Explained

Instead of rounded coils, wave springs coils are flattened; and each coil is strengthened with an arcing wave pattern for flexibility. This unique design gives the wave spring the same force as its traditional counterpart whilst lighter and smaller.

Compared to its classic competitor, the wave spring is a new invention that didn’t emerge until 50 years ago. Nevertheless, they have quickly risen in popularity and are the preferred choice of spring for many manufacturers.

They can vary from large to small diameters, heavy-duty or light parts. They’re also made from various materials, from carbon steel to more unusual materials for any bespoke requirements. With the ability to configure them to any task, they’ve been used in thousands of different machines in hundreds of industries.

A Wave Spring for Every Job

Along with the standard wave spring, there are several types of wave spring to choose from. The variety of these sub-wave spring types each have their specialities and benefits, so contacting your preferred spring manufacturers and browsing your possible choices is a good idea.

Crest-to-crest wave springs are the full name of the standard wave spring.
Crest-to-crest wave springs + shim ends. Help reduce height more and provide 360-degree surface contact
Single turn wave springs have gap and overlap styles to replace stamp wave washers
Wavo wave springs are the rule-breakers as they have round wire instead of the standard flat for increased forces but at an increased size.
Nested Wave Springs are pre-stacked from a single continuous filament.

Why Wave Springs are Leading the Way

The main benefit a wave spring can bring to your design over traditional coil springs is that it gives you more for less. Choosing wave springs helps optimise your assembly design into a more efficient design.

Compact Design

The primary way they give you more for less is in their physical dimensions. For example, a standard wave spring can be reduced to half the height of your existing coil spring and still do the same job. Additionally, they can have a smaller circumference to fit in tight radial spaces, minimising their cavity size.

Flexible Design

With our extensive experience as wave spring manufacturers, we can certainly attest to the seemingly infinite choices available when designing with wave springs. We have designed wave springs to fit any specifications or assembly requirements. The material type, thickness, and end type are just details that the spring can be customised to suit.

Predictable and Reliable.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a dynamic load or static that your spring needs to hold. A tested wave spring can be trusted to keep to those results for many years of use reliably.

Unique Materials

When you need a wave spring, you need to consider the environment it will be working in. Choosing the wrong material will be an early death sentence for your wave spring, with the environment significantly reducing the spring’s life cycle. Please don’t hesitate to contact our team to discuss which material is suitable for your project.

This more compact design and lightweight assembly can save the manufacturer time and production costs. As a result, the wave spring has become the go-to choice for a compression spring when space is limited.

Be careful when choosing which spring is suitable for you. It’s important to note that wave springs are designed for compression only, so if your design requires springs for suspension, tension or torsion, you will want to consider a different spring design, like the ones on our website.

Where You Could Find Wave Springs

Wave springs have been adopted into various industries worldwide, in everything from:

Aerospace
Car industry
Off-highway
Oil and gas industries

You’d be surprised to find out how many different machines need a wave spring to function. They can be found in everyday objects like the smartwatch on your wrist or in an oil well deep in the earth. As a result, wave springs have become essential to our modern way of life.

The most common use for wave springs is flow valves. Across many different industries, hundreds of companies will be using flow valves that contain wave springs.

Additional use is in vibration isolators. This equipment is essential to help dampen the vibrations and provide predictable loading every time, but it wouldn’t work without the wave spring.

Wave springs have replaced standard coil springs because of the space-saving benefits mentioned earlier in this article. Additionally, the linear style of the spring allows a far greater compression of 80% over the traditional coil.

70 Years of High-Quality Springs

Wave springs are the product of new space-saving technologies that are now replacing the standard coil spring, with Wave springs being smaller and using fewer materials, the benefits to production costs alone.

Here at European Springs, we are committed to assisting our customers with finding the right products for their design or assembly. We also offer a wide range of other high-quality springs in a catalogue online. For more information on wave springs or any of our other springs, pressings, and metal components, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, and a member of our team will be more than happy to help you out.

Nearly half of manufacturing businesses have been the victims of cyber-crime at some point. Since the pandemic, more and more companies have embraced the benefits of using the internet. There are clear advantages when using digital technology to manage your business and conduct e-commerce, but unfortunately, they now come with certain risks, namely the threat of cyber-attacks.

This article will explain cyber-crime, why it’s a threat to your business, and how to protect yourself best.

The Invisible Thief: Cyber-Crime

Cyber-crime has become an umbrella term for any crime committed that was either ‘Cyber-dependant’ or ‘Cyber-enabled.’

Cyber-dependant. Hacking to steal or damage a system or spreading malware for financial gain, for example.

Cyber-enabled. Committing fraud or data theft through computer networks, for example.

With the development of the first computer viruses in the early 1980s, the door was opened to attack other people’s computers. While these initially started as harmless pranks or experiments, they quickly led to harmful criminal activity as the internet grew more popular.

Types of Cyber-Crime

Cybercriminals are vicious and ruthless. Invading systems to take control or exploit private data are the two main goals of these criminals. Additionally, once they have what they want, they will attempt to extort money from you to fix everything. As a result, most businesses never truly recover as the attack causes permanent damage to your company’s reputation.

All of this is money leaving your pocket for no good reason; a sound cyber security system will help you keep that money where it belongs.

What To Watch Out For

With businesses conducting confidential business online and storing valuable information, the temptation has never been higher for cybercriminals. Given a chance, they will not hesitate to damage your system permanently.

Ransomware

Is a type of virus that will prevent your workers from accessing your IT systems. As more businesses incorporate hybrid working with remote systems, this type of attack has increased. Their goal is to hold the system captive until they are paid a substantial sum.

Spyware

Any business holding customer information is a potential target for ransomware. For example, our customer database and custom spring designs are confidential. Without our cybersecurity in place, they would be a vulnerable and tempting target.

Then a successful attack would require you to hire outside experts to verify the data is still confidential or notify the people whose information was leaked.

Data Erasure Malware

Some Cyber-criminals are not in it for the money; some are known as ‘Hacktivists.’ A Hacktivist would want to get a virus into your system to cause chaos. They could erase valuable data like order histories, customer contact details or specifications. They could erase your website without your knowledge, so that it would require reconstruction.

There are many ways to achieve this once they are in, so it’s vital to maintain a sound cyber security plan to keep them out.

How To Protect Yourself

No business is immune to online threats, but protecting yourself from online threats may feel necessary until your luck runs out, that is. The financial cost of the disruption to your business alone is the best-case scenario, and the worst case would be far more expensive. And suddenly, you’ll wish you had taken the time to defend yourself adequately.

Fortunately, in our 70 years of experience as leading bespoke spring manufacturers, we have learnt some good business practices for protecting ourselves online, which we’ve shared below:

Updating your Antivirus Regularly

Taking the time regularly to make sure your software is up to date will ensure you have the most robust defence against any intrusions. Unfortunately, new viruses and hacks are being developed by criminals all the time. The best antivirus software companies will constantly update their software databases to defend against these newly created viruses, but it’s up to you to make sure your update your software.

Additionally, it’s your responsibility to make sure the antivirus software you choose to begin with is the best on the market. You need to imagine this software like hiring a new staff member, one whose sole job is to protect you from online threats and updating your software is training your employee.

We at European Springs and Pressings wholeheartedly recommend investing in your online protection. Investing in your software as much as your staff is securing your long term future, and we believe in developing people for the future.

Passwords and Two-Factor Authentications

Your passwords are like the lock to your home, and you want them both to be as hard to break as possible. Using encrypted passwords will have a significant positive effect on your cyber security. Try using combinations of capital letters, numbers and symbols when possible to make it too complex to guess.

Having a solid password works for a while, but you should change your passwords often. Try doing it the same time you update your antivirus software to create a helpful routine.

Two-factor authentication is a fantastic addition to anyone’s online security and is essential for online businesses. Otherwise known as 2FA, two-factor authentication is the process of alerting a second source that someone is attempting a login. It’s a proven security measure amongst the banking industry and most online eCommerce sites. Most people will have encountered these at some point, such as inputting a code delivered directly to your phone or email.

Investing pays off

Being prepared for cyber threats does mean investing in cyber security, which means increased outlays. Still, as a prominent member of the Institute of Spring Technology and the leading spring manufacturers nationwide, we can attest that investing in your security and keeping it up to date will relieve you of these troubles so you can focus on your business.

We hope that this blog has been helpful and you now have a better understanding of cyber-crime and its threat to the manufacturing industry. If you have any questions or want to learn more about our products and services, please get in touch – we’re always more than happy to help.