Special Springs LLC manufactures and supplies high-quality nitrogen gas springs and mechanical die springs for customers all over the world. As a leading manufacturer of spring products, we work to give our customers superior-quality springs with every order. Here you’ll learn the difference between gas springs and coil springs, as well as their respective advantages and applications, so you can decide which product best suits your needs.
What Is the Difference Between Gas Springs and Coil Springs?
Different applications call for different types of springs depending on the required force and their unique operating conditions. The two main types of springs are coil springs and gas springs.
Coil Springs
These are conventional metal coil springs that contain energy under compression. To impose pressure on a coil spring, it is compressed to a shorter height and stores energy. When pressure is removed, the coil spring releases the stored energy and returns to its initial height. Coil springs have elastic limits that dictate the amount of pressure the spring can handle before breaking.
Gas Springs vs. Coil Springs
Gas Springs
These springs use nitrogen gas within a cylinder to operate a rod or piston. This gas’s neutrality means it does not exhibit adverse reactions under compression. Each spring’s seal prevents gas loss for total self-containment.
With patented, integrated safety features, gas springs can prevent contamination, loss of speed control, over stroking, and over pressure. Many manufacturing applications use gas springs, such as furniture, aerospace, automotive, and press tooling. In the automotive industry, they are used primarily to raise and lower hatches or hoods.
Advantages of Using Gas Springs
Gas springs exert force using nitrogen gas in a sealed cylinder. They can be customized for applications with specific requirements for stroke length, tonnage, and mounting options.
Other key benefits of using gas springs include:
- The ability to generate greater force in tighter spaces
- Immediate contact force
- Greater range of force and stroke options
- Force is easily adjustable through the increase or decrease of pressure
Advantages of Using Coil Springs
Coil springs offer numerous benefits for a wide variety of applications, including but not limited to furniture manufacturing. When choosing between coil springs and other spring types, consider the advantages of using coil springs:
- Lightweight construction: Coil springs are lightweight but powerful. The coiled shape adds strength to the spring that the steel material wouldn’t otherwise have in its original shape. The coiling and heating process further increases the strength of the material, enabling it to bear heavier weights with less metal.
- Maintenance-free design: The simple design of coil springs and their basic mechanism eliminate the need for frequent maintenance. They can resist compression and stretching depending on the materials and tightness with which they are wound. Coil springs don’t require any lubrication or cleaning, and they can last longer with the addition of special rust-resistant coatings.
- Versatility: The majority of compression springs feature uniform spacing between coils, but you can customize the spring’s shape, size, and strength to meet your application’s unique needs. It’s possible to manufacture springs to extremely tight tolerances to allow them to fit precisely around shafts or in holes.
Applications of Gas and Coil Springs
Gas springs often help form various metals, with specific applications including:
- Metal stamping
- HVAC
- Medical
- Automotive
- Aerospace
- Appliance
- Heavy equipment
- Agricultural
- Tool & die
The flexible shape of coil springs makes these products suitable for numerous applications. Coil springs appear in household appliances, complex engineering designs, and other construction applications.
Examples of applications for coil springs include:
- Fluid sealing
- Home furnishing
- Commercial uses
- Automotive manufacturing
- Medical devices
- Construction and infrastructure
- Agricultural applications
- Oil & gas
Gas Springs and Coil Springs From Special Springs North America
At Special Springs, we aim to deliver the best compression coil spring and gas spring products to our customers in various industries. We use advanced thermal treatment technologies to fabricate reliable steel materials that lend extraordinary dependability and durability to our spring designs.
Whether you need nitrogen gas springs or coil springs, we can help you find what you need for your application. To get started with your solution, request a quote from us today.
