What is a spring making machine? What is its working principle?

▶ What is a spring making machine?

A spring making machine is an automated machine specifically designed to transform metal wire into various types of springs.
Imagine trying to bend a thick, stiff steel wire into neat circles by hand – it would be incredibly difficult, and it would be hard to ensure each circle was exactly the same. A spring making machine is like an incredibly strong and precise "master craftsman," quickly shaping the wire into the desired form.

▶ How does it work?

To transform a straight steel wire into a flexible spring, the machine typically goes through these steps:

Continuous wire feeding:

The machine usually has a wire reel at the back, holding a large coil of steel wire. Internal feed rollers tightly grip the wire, feeding it steadily and precisely into the machine's core. The amount of wire fed determines the length of the spring.

Straightening the wire:

The wire usually has a curve when it comes off the reel. Before forming the spring, it passes through a series of staggered small rollers (straighteners). The wire is squeezed and pressed inside, emerging straight and smooth, ensuring the resulting spring is not crooked.

Hard-on-hard bending and shaping:

This is the most impressive part of the spring making machine. When the straight wire is pushed out, it hits a very hard mold (called a curve guide or stopper).
Because the wire is being pushed from behind and blocked in front, it has nowhere to go but to follow the curve of the mold, forming a circle.
By adjusting the position of this stopper, the machine can control the size and spacing of the spring coils.

Multi-directional shaping:

If the spring needs hooks, long legs, or other unusual shapes, several robotic arms (sliders) around the machine extend from different angles, like fingers, to bend the wire according to pre-programmed movements, completing various complex bends.

A clean and precise "single cut":

Once a spring is made, the cutting blade in the machine quickly pops out, precisely severing the connection. The formed spring then drops into a collection basket, and the production of the next spring immediately begins.

▶ Why is this machine so powerful?

Non-stop operation:

As long as there is electricity and raw materials, the spring making machine can work 24 hours a day without interruption, achieving efficiency hundreds or thousands of times higher than manual labor.

Perfect precision:

Most modern machines are controlled by computer programs, ensuring that the size and thickness of the first spring and the hundred-thousandth spring are almost identical, achieving exceptional precision.

Versatile functionality:

Whether it's compression springs, tension springs, or complex torsion springs, this single machine can often handle them all by simply changing the molds and adjusting the program.