Typical spring clips are self-retaining, one-piece fasteners that slip into a mounting hole or onto a flange or panel edge. Secondary fastening devices such as rivets, studs, or screws are not needed because the clips are held by spring tension and do not loosen easily through vibration. The clips also compensate for tolerance buildup and misalignment.
Ranging from clips for; automotive, aerospace, medical, and hardware to name a few. These spring clip fasteners range in size from material of .003 thick to .125.
The basic spring-clip material is steel with 0.50 to 0.80% carbon. Generally, fasteners are hardened to Rockwell C 45-50. Varied spring tensions are obtained by controlling the width and thickness of the steel. Some other metals are used but cannot match the spring properties of high-carbon steel. Plastic fasteners have replaced metal spring clips in many applications. However, plastic designs are limited by their holding capabilities and by some environmental conditions. Many plastic clamps and fasteners are self-retained to panels by an integral dart shape, an expandable leg, or high-strength contact adhesive. Typical materials used to produce spring clip fasteners are carbon steel and stainless steel. These materials are available in all grades and tempers. Complex forming in high carbon steel is accomplished by the use of annealed material. The part will then be heat-treated and tempered to obtain it's full spring characteristic. When required various finishes are available out of zinc plate or nickel plate to prevent the material from rusting over time for some applications. Stainless Steel is often the material of choice do to its corrosion resistance. Coatings can be used to meet special requirements. For example, on metal parts, neoprene and vinyl dips provide a soft cushion to prevent chafing and damage. Zinc mechanical plating also provides an attractive finish without danger of hydrogen embrittlement.
There are many different methods of producing the spring clip fastener. The choice is determined depending on the parts; complexity, material type, material thickness, overall size, and volume. One possibility is creating tooling for a wide assortment of power presses that range in size, tonnage, and speed. These machines can be used for large volume precision spring clip fasteners. Another way to manufacture fasteners is to build them complete off of a fourslide or multi-slide machine. These machines produce the parts at a fraction of the cost of a power press progressive tool. Finally, pneumatic presses can bend, cut, and draw customers prototypes, production, with minimal amount of tooling. This department can also works in conjunction with the power press and fourslide departments to produce spring clip fasteners to tolerance using the best possible means.
Dart-shaped, panel-retaining spring clips have "hips" to engage within panel or component holes. They are commonly used to join two panel surfaces, as in refrigerator door liners. Other configurations are used to fasten cables, molding trim, gaskets, and fabrics. Most dart-type clips are easily removable and require a mounting hole and space behind the mounting panel to accommodate the dart. They may be installed with finger pressure for light duty or with power tools for heavy applications.