Posted to News on 19th Nov 2014, 13:29
Lee Spring innovations meet environmental standards
While working on new products to satisfy customer demands, Lee Spring maintains a strong focus on environmental standards. All Lee Spring Stock Products comply with the RoHS European Directive on Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances and REACH, the European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals, designed to protect the environment and human health.
Stainless steel is 100 per cent recyclable and has a high scrap value. In addition, there is no need for coatings, which can contaminate the environment as they deteriorate, and make recycling more difficult and expensive. There are also no corrosion products to contaminate the environment. These characteristics make stainless steel a 'green' material.
Passivation maximises the corrosion resistance of stainless steel springs. It can make the difference between satisfactory performance and premature failure. While many other companies continue to use environmentally harmful nitric acids, Lee Spring has switched its process to use citric acid, which produces the same performance but without the environmentally hazardous side effects of nitric acid. Lee Spring has also changed its dust collection system to control any potential environmental migration of dust particles generated in the manufacturing process.
Spring innovations
Lee Spring has introduced a number of customer-centric products to the Stock Spring offering. Lee Spring says it was the first spring manufacturer to offer type 316 stainless steel stock compression springs. This innovation offers customers advanced corrosion resistance with the enhancement of ultrasonic cleaning; this process produces springs with superior cleanliness, greater product purity and the exceptional visual integrity required by many industries including medical, pharmaceutical, food processing and aerospace.
The Lee Spring Catalogue has always offered springs with relatively low rates, but the diameter was often too small to give the required pressure or to accommodate assembly requirements. Lee Spring's answer is a new line of low-pressure, high-index Lite Pressure stock springs. Some common applications for these soft springs include syringes, relief valves, check valves, dispensers and pistons. This series is offered only in passivated, ultrasonically cleaned type 316 stainless steel to satisfy most potential requirements.
As application requirements for smaller size components increased, so did Lee Spring's response. In addition to the expansion of compression and wave springs to include smaller sizes, Lee Spring introduced BANTAM Mini compression springs with outside diameters starting at 0.025inch (0.64mm) and free lengths as small as 0.050inch (1.27mm). These miniature springs are produced in Elgiloy, a cobalt-nickel alloy that performs well in corrosive environments and at high temperatures up to 454degC (850degF). Applications include telecommunication devices, pharmaceutical delivery systems, petrochemical processing and marine industries.
Lee Spring also responded to the need for springs that combined the strength of metal with the special attributes of high-performing thermoplastics. The result was LeeP Plastic Composite compression springs, another major innovation in the history of spring technology. This product line is non-corrosive, non-magnetic and non-contaminating. Applications include marine and saline environments, imaging and X-ray machines, food processing and water purifications systems.
To learn more about Lee Spring products and their focus on environmental standards go to www.leespring.co.uk.
