A new suite of Plastic Compression Springs produced in a plastic composite by Lee Spring mark a breakthrough in spring technology. Called LeeP, the springs combine the strength of metal with the special attributes of high performance engineered... moreA new suite of Plastic Compression Springs produced in a plastic composite by Lee Spring mark a breakthrough in spring technology. Called LeeP, the springs combine the strength of metal with the special attributes of high performance engineered thermoplastics. This is not something Lee Spring developed on a whim. Increasingly, the company was being challenged by design requirements that went far beyond just load bearing capability. Users wanted springs that were resistant to chemicals, non-magnetic, physically stable at high temperatures, lightweight, non-conductive and recyclable.
Metal alloys met some of these criteria, but not all, and at varying levels of success. But the specifications could be met by 'space age' inert non-metallic alloys. So Lee Spring looked at designs and materials that combined the strength of metal with the special characteristics of high performance plastics. The solution was to use plastic resins, strengthened with a suitable filler (such as fibreglass, carbon fibre or... less