How GL Springs developed 20+ custom stainless steel wave and compression springs with non-standard wire and a burr-free finish for a German medical manufacturer.
Case Details
Project Snapshot
| Industry: |
Medical devices (e.g., insulin pen / syringe components) |
| Spring types: |
Wave springs & compression springs |
| Material: |
Stainless steel(1.4310) |
| Wire diameter: |
Non-standard / custom |
| Finishing: |
Cleaning + tumbling (deburring) — fully burr-free |
| Status: |
20+ prototypes developed; passed German testing |
Shanghai Guanglei Spring (GL Springs) was selected by a renowned German medical device manufacturer to develop custom springs for precision medical instruments, including components used in insulin pens and syringes. The program covers 20+ products — primarily wave springs and compression springs in stainless steel — each with strict tolerances and a fully burr-free finish required for safe, reliable medical use.
The Challenge
The customer's medical applications demanded:
- 20+ different springs, each held to strict dimensional and load tolerances
- Non-standard wire diameters, requiring custom tooling and tight process control
- Wave and compression spring designs that fit compact medical assemblies
- A completely burr-free surface — critical for components in devices such as insulin pen needles, where any burr is unacceptable
- Stainless steel for corrosion resistance and material reliability
- Validation against the rigorous testing standards of a German manufacturer
Our Solution
- Material: medical-suitable stainless steel selected for corrosion resistance and batch-to-batch consistency
- Custom tooling developed to produce the non-standard wire diameters to spec
- Wave-spring and compression-spring designs optimized for compact, high-precision medical assemblies
- Finishing: a dedicated cleaning and tumbling (deburring) process delivering fully burr-free springs——essential for safety-critical medical components
- Disciplined process control and inspection across all 20+ part numbers throughout the prototyping phase
The Result
- Developed 20+ custom spring prototypes (wave and compression types)
- All prototypes passed the customer's German testing and validation
- Established GL Springs as a development partner for the customer's medical device program
Why Medical Customers Choose GL Springs
- Precision manufacturing for compact, tight-tolerance medical springs
- Burr-free finishing (cleaning + tumbling) for safety-critical components
- Stainless steel and specialty alloys
- IATF 16949 certified
- Rapid prototyping across many part numbers, from prototype to production
