Medical springs are an important component in the manufacturing of devices and equipment used throughout the medical industry.
The three main types of springs used in medical devices—compression, torsion, and extension—and each serve a valuable purpose in varying types of equipment, large and small.
Springs are devices that store mechanical energy. Though they are relatively simple in design, they are ubiquitous components in all kinds of devices and machines in a wide range of products from medical devices and equipment to consumer goods and heavy industrial equipment.
Nearly anything at all that involves a mechanism more than likely has a spring component.
It is no surprise then that springs are an indispensable part in some of the most common and advanced medical equipment used today.
They are used in such noninvasive applications as diagnostic and monitoring devices, syringes and pill dispensers.
They are also used as components in such surgical and nonsurgical devices as pacemakers and catheters.
Some applications require micro-dimensions manufactured for components of 0.1 to 0.8 millimeters, and even down to 0.03 millimeter in wire size for arterial widening.
Choosing the right spring for the component in the medical device is also essential for the part to function as designed. Spring classification is determined by how a load is applied. The load of a compression springs is designed to perform when force is compressed. Think of springs used for such compressive loads as in shock absorbers, spring mattresses, and retractable pens. In medical devices, compression springs are necessary where squeezing actions occur, for a switch or a surgical stapler.
Torsion springs are those springs that are designed to function with torque, i.e., a twisting action or rotational movement. Think clothespins or garage doors. Such medical equipment as x-ray machines and MRI devices are good examples that use torsion springs.
Extension springs, also called tension springs, are those springs that pull two components back to together. Designed to operate with a tensile load, the pulling action provides return force to components that have been extended. Some medical devices that use extension springs include surgical lights, stretchers, and numerous handheld devices.
The medical industry relies heavily on springs for a wide range of applications in many products and devices. Material, design, and performance requirements must meet the stringent regulatory requirements of the FDA. Springs are but one component in a long list of surgical instruments, equipment, and medical devices such as monitors and indicators, booms, lifts, and fluid control devices, booms, wheelchairs, medical testing and monitoring equipment, anesthetic infusion devices, sterilization valves, and shunt valves to name a few applications. For manufacturers, choosing the right spring to use in a medical device will ultimately relate to its application.