Spring Guides

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Spring guides are long, slender, close wound springs.  These springs are also known as coil springs, coil pipes, cable sheaths or outer jackets.  They are most often used to provide a very flexible skeleton for assemblies such as bicycle brake cables, biopsy forceps, catheters or the control cables within a fiber optic scope.  They can also be used as a reinforcing element either inside or over the top of a length of thin plastic tubing.

At Templeman, we use a proprietary manufacturing process to produce very even tension and precise coil alignment over the entire length of the spring guide.  This gives the spring guide a silky smooth feeling, which translates into smooth operation of the device the spring guide is used in.

In addition to round wire spring guides, Templeman is also equipped to produce spring guides from flat wire.  We start with round wire, roll it flat so that the ratio of the width to the thickness is approximately 1.5 to 1 and then wind it on the flat to produce the spring guide.  The rolling process produces a cross section with rounded edges so there are no corners to dig in as the spring guide is flexed.  The flats give a smooth surface and the reduced “wall thickness” of the spring guide allows it to fit in a smaller channel.  Other width to thickness ratios can be produced, but experience has shown that a 1.5 to 1 ratio works best for most applications.

At Templeman, we can produce spring guides to your exact specifications.  We are well equipped to work within the following size ranges:

Round Wire Spring Guides:

Wire Diameter – 0.004” [0.1 mm] to 0.025” [0.64 mm]
Coil Outside Diameter – 0.015” [0.38 mm] to 0.125” [3.2 mm]
Lengths – Up to 50 Feet [15 meters]
Spring Index – 2.2 to 4.5  (Mean Coil Diameter divided by Wire Diameter)

Flat Wire Spring Guides:

Wire Thickness – 0.006” [0.15 mm] to 0.018” [0.46 mm]
Wire Width – 0.009” [0.23 mm] to 0.030” [0.76”]
Coil Outside Diameter – 0.025” [0.64 mm] to 0.100” [2.5 mm]
Lengths – Up to 30 Feet [9 meters)
Spring Index – 2.5 to 5  (Mean Coil Diameter divided by Wire Diameter)

For a prompt evaluation and price quote, please submit the form at the top right of this page. For a look at our selection of stock spring guides, please click here.