Spring maker

Description

Spring makers operate a variety of equipment and machinery designed to manufacture different types of spring, including leaf, coil, torsion, clock, tension, and extension spring.

A spring maker typically does the following:

  • Sets up and operates variety of machines to fabricate small lots or samples of coiled compression, extension, and torsion springs, and other wire forms from steel wire or strip, following blueprints, drawings, and setup charts
  • Selects machine tools, such as arbor, grooved tool, and pitch tool, and installs them on lathe winder. Operates lathe winders to form coiled flat and wire springs.
  • Crimps and trues coiled springs and bends wire and flat forms to specified shape, using handtools, vise, and forming plates.
  • Operates forming presses to form spring washers and flat metal products from flat stock.
  • Measures products for conformance to specifications, using calipers, micrometers, and other gauges.
  • Places pan of springs in gas-fired oven or places individual springs in molten lead bath for heat treating and removes springs after specified period of time to air or water cool.
  • Recommends changes in blueprints, in machine setup, type of metal, and methods and procedures operations for making products.
  • Makes spring-machine attachments and tools not in stock

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to spring maker:

box spring maker
spring making machine operative
extension spring maker
clock spring maker
torsion spring maker
wire coiler spring maker setter
wire coiler spring maker operator
compression spring maker
spring making machine tender
spring making machine operator
wire coiler spring maker
springer
spring assembling operator
wire coiler spring maker operative
wire coiler spring making operative
wire coiler spring maker tender setter
coil spring maker
spring assembler
spring setting operator
spring making machine setter
tension spring maker
leaf spring maker
spring setter
coiler

Minimum qualifications

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as spring maker. However, a high school diploma or more is an asset to be recruited in that role.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Spring maker is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Spring maker career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to spring maker.

wire weaving machine operator
metal drawing machine operator
screw machine operator
riveter
chain making machine operator

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of spring maker. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of spring maker with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

automated assembly line operator
pulp control operator
metal production supervisor
machine operator supervisor
precision mechanics supervisor

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of spring maker.

  • Types of metal: Qualities, specifications, applications and reactions to different fabricating processes of various types of metal, such as steel, aluminium, brass, copper and others.
  • Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.
  • Types of spring: Types of metal springs such as leaf, coil, torsion, clock, tension and extension spring.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of spring maker.

  • Supply machine with appropriate tools: Supply the machine with the necessary tools and items for a particular production purpose. Monitor the stock and replenish when needed.
  • Remove inadequate workpieces; Evaluate which deficient processed workpieces do not meet the set-up standard and should be removed and sort the waste according to regulations.
  • Troubleshoot: Identify operating problems, decide what to do about it and report accordingly.
  • Remove processed workpiece: Remove individual workpieces after processing, from the manufacturing machine or the machine tool. In case of a conveyor belt this involves quick, continuous movement.
  • Operate precision measuring equipment: Measure the size of a processed part when checking and marking it to check if it is up to standard by use of two and three dimensional precision measuring equipment such as a caliper, a micrometer, and a measuring gauge.
  • Monitor moving workpiece in a machine: Monitor the processing of a workpiece in motion, such as a piece of metal or wood moved linearly over a static manufacturing machine.
  • Perform test run: Perform tests putting a system, machine, tool or other equipment through a series of actions under actual operating conditions in order to assess its reliability and suitability to realise its tasks, and adjust settings accordingly.
  • Ensure equipment availability: Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.
  • Tend spring making machine: Tend a metalworking machine designed to produce metal springs, through either hot winding or cold winding processes, monitor and operate it according to regulations.
  • Monitor automated machines: Continuously check up on the automated machine’s set-up and execution or make regular control rounds. If necessary, record and interpret data on the operating conditions of installations and equipment in order to identify abnormalities.
  • Coil metal: Coil, usually steel, metal rings by winding them continuously and regularly spaced atop of one another, creating metal springs.
  • Supply machine: Ensure the machine is fed the necessary and adequate materials and control the placement or automatic feed and retrieval of work pieces in the machines or machine tools on the production line.
  • Safely handle metal wire under tension: Handle fabricated, drawn metal wire safely by calculating the risks and dangers of its unreliable nature due to spring force and resilience.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of spring maker. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Statistical process control: Method of quality control that uses statistics to monitor processes.
  • Quality and cycle time optimisation: The most optimal rotation or cycle time and over-all quality of a tool or a machine’s processes.
  • Ferrous metal processing: Various processing methods on iron and iron-containing alloys such as steel, stainless steel and pig iron.
  • Metal forming technologies: The variety of technologies and techniques, such as forging, pressing, stamping, rolling and others, used for the forming processes of metal product manufacturing.
  • Manufacturing of small metal parts: The manufacture of metal cable, plaited bands and other articles of that typr, uninsulated or insulated cable not capable of being used as a conductor of electricity, coated or cored wire as well as barbed wire, wire fencing, grill, netting, cloth etc. Manufacture of coated electrodes for electric arc-welding, nails and pins, chain and springs (except watch springs): as well as leaves for springs.
  • Types of metal manufacturing processes: Metal processes linked to the different types of metal, such as casting processes, heat treatment processes, repair processes and other metal manufacturing processes.
  • Cold winding: The coiling process of cold winding by winding wire at room temperature around a mandrel, in order to create metal springs.
  • Hot winding: The coiling process of hot winding, winding heated wire around a mandrel, then cooling it in oil and tempering it, in order to create metal springs.
  • Manufacturing of daily use goods: The manufacturing of items used in the daily life, personal use or daily practice. These products include protective safety equipment, drawing equipment, stamps, umbrellas, cigarette lighters, baskets, candles, and many other miscellaneous articles.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of spring maker. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Monitor gauge: Oversee the data presented by a gauge concerning the measurement of pressure, temperature, thickness of a material, and others.
  • Record production data for quality control: Keep records of the machine’s faults, interventions and irregularities for quality control.
  • Ensure necessary ventilation in machining: Turn on the ventilation systems, such as a vacuum pump or blower, of a manufacturing machine in order to remove noxious fumes, smoke, dust, or for other removal of debris from the surface of the workpiece.
  • Perform product testing: Test processed workpieces or products for basic faults.
  • Dispose of hazardous waste: Dispose of dangerous materials such as chemical or radioactive substances according to environmental and to health and safety regulations.
  • Wear appropriate protective gear: Wear relevant and necessary protective gear, such as protective goggles or other eye protection, hard hats, safety gloves.
  • Read standard blueprints: Read and comprehend standard blueprints, machine, and process drawings.
  • Tend wire drawing machine: Tend a drawing machine designed for forming cold or hot metal into wire, monitor and operate it, according to regulations.
  • Use CAM software: Use computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programmes to control machinery and machine tools in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation as part of the manufacturing processes of workpieces.
  • Perform machine maintenance: Perform regular maintenance, possibly including corrections and alterations, on a machine or machine tool to ensure it remains in a proper productive state.
  • Provide advice to technicians: Offer advice to service technicians in case of machinery malfunctions and other technical repair tasks.
  • Consult technical resources: Read and interpret technical resources such as digital or paper drawings and adjustment data in order to properly set up a machine or working tool, or to assemble mechanical equipment.
  • Program a CNC controller: Set up the desired product design in the CNC controller of the CNC machine for product manufacturing.
  • Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
  • Remove scale from metal workpiece: Remove the accumulated scale, or metal ‘flakes’, on the surface of the metal workpiece caused by oxidation after removal from the furnace by spraying it with an oil-based liquid that will cause it to flake off during the forging process.
  • Set up the controller of a machine: Set up and give commands to a machine by dispatching the appropriate data and input into the (computer) controller corresponding with the desired processed product.

ISCO group and title

8121 – Metal processing plant operators


References
  1. ESCO
  2. Spring Maker Salary and Career Advice | Chegg CareerMatch
Last updated on July 3, 2022

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