Wave-Springs by AFC Europe maintain spring force with half the space and weight

With the equivalent force of a traditional coil spring, but up to half of the weight and space, Wave Springs provide a more efficient alternative. Manufactured in the USA by Smalley and available exclusively from AFC Europe, Wave Springs are increasingly the first choice solution when you need to engineer the finesse of a floating butterfly but still need the power of a bee sting!

Wave Springs are compression springs manufactured from flat wire and formed into a series of precisely engineered waves around a circular ring. Unlike coil springs, which rely on multiple turns stacked axially, Wave Springs generate load through wave geometry. This fundamental design difference allows wave springs to deliver equivalent force and deflection with significantly reduced working height, often achieving axial space savings of up to 50% compared to conventional coil springs.

From an engineering perspective, this reduction has far-reaching implications. In assemblies such as gearboxes, bearing housings, valves, actuators and medical devices, axial space is often the limiting factor in design optimisation. Replacing a coil spring or disc spring stack with a single wave spring can enable shorter housings, tighter tolerances and more compact product architectures without compromising mechanical performance.

Wave Springs typically require less material than an equivalent coil spring solution, particularly when replacing stacked springs or multi-component preload systems. In dynamic applications, such as rotating equipment or precision actuation, lower mass contributes to improved system response, reduced inertia and enhanced efficiency. These characteristics make wave springs especially attractive in automotive, aerospace and high-performance industrial applications.

From a functional standpoint, Wave Springs offer superior control over load-deflection behaviour. The force curve can be tightly defined through wave count, material selection and ring configuration, enabling engineers to achieve consistent and repeatable preload within very small travel windows. This makes Wave Springs particularly effective for bearing preload, where controlled axial force is essential to minimise play, reduce noise and vibration and extend bearing life. They are also widely used in sealing systems, where stable force is required to maintain sealing integrity across temperature variations and tolerance stack-up.

The most recent innovation in the range of Wave Spring solutions is the NestawaveTM, a nested wave spring in a crest-to-crest configuration. These springs are coiled from a single, continuous piece of wire and combine the deflection characteristics of a crest-to-crest wave spring with the force output of a Spirawave® nested spring. Ideal for replacing stacks of Belleville washers, Nestawave springs reduce the risk of improper installation and simplify assembly.

For manufacturers and design engineers across Europe, this advanced wave spring technology is made accessible through AFC Europe, the exclusive European partner for Smalley. AFC Europe provides local technical expertise, application engineering support and supply chain reliability, ensuring that Smalley wave springs are correctly specified and seamlessly integrated into engineering projects. Production supply is supported by a significant local stock holding of standard sizes and managed delivery using local warehousing and inventory management systems installed directly to the production floor where appropriate.

AFC Europe’s application engineers work closely with OEMs and design engineers to support applications ranging from automotive transmissions and electric drive systems to industrial machinery, down-hole tools for oil and gas extraction, medical devices and aeronautics.

As trends toward miniaturisation, lightweighting and higher functional integration continue, Wave Springs are increasingly a standard design choice rather than a niche alternative. Wave Spring technology is helping engineers overcome space constraints, simplify assemblies and achieve more reliable, efficient mechanical systems.

You can find out more about Wave Springs by visiting AFC Europe’s website. Just visit Wave Springs – AFC Europe. For enquiries, please email the AFC Europe team at enquiries@afceur.com. To talk to someone directly, call us on +44(0)1435866011.

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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.