Understanding the Differences Between Wave Washers and Wave Springs

When selecting a spring element for your mechanical assemblies, it’s important to understand the differences between wave washers and wave springs. Both springs play significant roles in managing loads, but they serve different functions and come with distinct advantages. Knowing these differences will help you choose the right part that fits your specific requirements. At Rotor Clip, we have the expertise and knowledge to share why wave springs are the ideal choice over wave washers, ensuring you have all the information needed to make the right decision.

What is a Wave Washer?

Wave washers are fasteners with small, spring-like waves. This design allows them to act as flexible spacers and locking mechanisms, absorbing shock and minimizing vibration. Typically stamped rather than coiled, wave washers are used in lighter applications to help distribute loads, though the stamping process and steel properties can make load distribution less precise. This process also results in more material waste / scrap, affecting sustainability initiatives. Wave washers are less suited for applications requiring higher load capacities and a lower environmental footprint.

What is a Wave Spring?

A wave spring is a compression spring made from coiled flat wire, featuring a wavy design that enhances its spring effect. Made from stainless and exotic alloys, wave springs are economical and produce little to no scrap. Produced from flat wire, the circular grain material properties provide accurate and repeatable forces across a wide range of deflections, making them ideal for applications with limited space and precise force control. Their coiled design allows for more even load distribution compared to stamped wave washers, enabling wave springs to effectively replace a stack of washers, and all the while promoting sustainability.

Why Choose Wave Springs Over Wave Washers?

Wave springs and wave washers each have their strengths, but when it comes to accurate and repeatable load control in a compact design, wave springs stand out. Here are the key benefits that illustrate why wave springs are often the preferred choice.

100% Axial Load Transmission:

The design of wave springs ensures that the bending load in the waves guarantees complete axial load transmission, providing consistent performance in high-stress environments.

Load Consistency and Tighter Tolerances:

Wave springs deliver a uniform load throughout their compression cycle, avoiding the variability associated with wave washers. They offer improved accuracy in spring rates and loads, with tolerances that can be up to 50% tighter.

Higher Thrust Capacity:

Wave springs can handle substantially higher thrust loads than standard wave washers. By adjusting parameters such as the number of waves and wire diameter, they maintain load stability under high axial forces.

Highly Customizable:

Wave springs can generate a wide range of forces by modifying wire size, wire form, number of turns, turn configuration, and wave form, allowing for tailored solutions to specific application requirements.

Consistent Loading Characteristics:

Wave springs maintain a relatively linear spring rate over a broad deflection range, ensuring that force delivery remains predictable as the spring compresses.

Environmentally Sustainable:

Rotor Clip’s edgewinding coiling process minimizes material waste during manufacturing, improving sustainability and reducing production costs. The coiling process makes stainless steel and specialized alloys like Inconel, A286, and Elgiloy more cost-effective options.

Rotor Clip Wave Springs

Our single-turn wave springs provide accurate spring rates and load tolerances that exceed those of stamped wave washers or disc springs by over 50%, making them ideal replacements. Their coiled structure ensures consistent load distribution, improving performance in various applications.

Our Nested wave springs are a single-part solution that removes the need for stacking, which reduces costs and streamlines assembly lines. They perform well under high-load conditions and provide greater load capacity with the same travel compared to single-turn wave springs. Nested wave springs eliminate the need to stack individual washers, resulting in more reliable force and reducing assembly errors.

All our wave springs are manufactured in-house, allowing for strict quality control, optimized processes, and continuous improvement. This internal management helps us shorten lead times and adapt quickly to market changes.

If you’re considering a transition from wave washers to wave springs, or if you have questions about how our products can enhance your assembly’s performance, contact us today. Let us help you make the best choice for your engineering needs.