Wixroyd Metric Spring Plungers
Wixroyd wide range of Spring Plungers are trusted mechanical engineering products used in many designs. Our Spring Plungers are available in materials such as steel, stainless steel, brass, plastic and more - and we can help you with custom spring pressures, pin designs etc.
What are Spring Plungers?
Spring Plungers, also known as ball plungers, are small mechanical components consisting of a smooth or threaded housing containing a spring-loaded mechanism that allows a ball to protruded or become retracted. They can be used as switches or positioning indexes, for example.
Applications
Commercial Lighting
Made of high quality steel and stainless steel (and more!), Wixroyd Spring Plunger range is proven to be reliable for millions of repetitions in securing, positioning, positive locking, indexing and quick release. Their application is limited only by the imagination!
Medical Applications
Used in conjunction with a simple hinge, Wixroyd Spring Plunger 32300 provides an easy and secure means to positively position and secure the back panel of a blood gas analysis machine.
With both brass and stainless steel varieties, our Spring Plungers have a wide range of application in the medical, pharmaceutical, food and drink proccessing industries.
Applications
Uses
- Generally used for location or positioning/indexing
- Securing
- Positive locking
- Quick release
- Applying positive pressure (or 'lifting-off' force)
Industry Sectors
- Machine and fixture design
- Measuring equipment
- Electronic Components
- OEM products
- Lighting equipment
- Medical, optics and orthopedics
Materials
| Material | Notes |
| Steel | Steel is a high strength alloy of carbon and iron often used in engineering applications. |
| Stainless steel | Stainless steel is more corrosion resistant than steel but is more expensive. Austenitic AISI grades 303 and 305 are generally present in our spring plungers. The extra corrosion resistant AISI 316 grade is also available on request. |
| Brass | Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc with a golden/yellow metallic lustre. Brass does not rust, but can tarnish over time. Not compatible with very strong acidic or amine/ammonia-based solutions. |
| Plastic (polyoxymethylene; POM) | POM (also known as polyacetal; PA) is a thermoplastic polymer with excellent properties for mechanical engineering products. It has a very high strength-to-weight ratio and can be a very cost-effective material choice. |
Features
Mounting Options
Ball Type
31400, 31420, 31500, 32000, 32100, 32102, 32280, 32300, 32302, 32350
Mounting Options
Pin Head Type
31000, 31600, 32150, 32200, 32220, 32282, 32400, 32420
Electrical Conductivity
We are often asked regarding the electrical conductivity of our Spring Plungers. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any reliable information on this topic as there are many factors in play. We recommend you study the specific material properties of the Spring Plunger component parts to make your own calculations - alternatively if in doubt, make a test application.
Spring Loads
Three available spring pressure models.
Technical Specs
Thread Details
All Wixroyd Metric Spring Plungers have a coarse thread.
| O dia. (D) | 3 | 3,5 | 4 | 4,5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 |
| Pitch | 0,50 | 0,60 | 0,70 | 0,75 | 0,80 | 1,00 | 1,00 | 1,25 | 1,50 | 1,75 | 2,00 | 2,00 | 2,50 | 2,50 | 2,50 | 3,00 |
SÂ Â Stroke, or movement of plunger's ball or pin
f1Â The force required in Newtons (N) to overcome the static strength of the spring and achieve initial movement of the plunger's ball or pin.
f2  The force required in Newtons (N) to fully compress the spring and to depress the ball or pin fully against the plunger's body.
Typical Spring Repetitions
Although dependent upon a number of application specific factors, we are able to give the following guide relating to the maximum number of spring repetitions or cycles of our Spring Plungers.
- 100% or full stroke "s" used: approx 300,000 cycles
- 65% of stroke "s" used: approx 10,000,000 cycles
100% Testing
- Every Spring Plunger that is produced on the Wixroyd assembly line is individually tested.
- That is how we guarantee the quality of our products.
Accuracy of 'S' stroke / spring range
Accuracy of f1 andf f2 spring forces
Accuracy of ball diameter
Accuracy of thread
Installation
Important Note: This is only an approximation formula, for more accurate calculation the roughness of the counterpart surface as well as any variation in the plungers spring force (due to age or high repetitions) should be considered.
We are able to provide the following formula as an approximation of the pull or push force (N) required to 'release' a ball plunger from its indexing counterpart.
For Example:
For Spring Plunger 31500.W0010;
F=24N (see product table)
Knowledgebase Questions
The Expander-Fit Spring Plunger (32302) in size Ø3 is unfortunately not available.
Production of the parts body uses injection molding and for a Ø3mm diameter the tooling is currently unavailable.
Expander Spring Plunger range (32302) is a push fit spring plunger that does not need specific tooling for installation.
The springs are captive in a spring body and are part of the production process, so we cannot provide bodies without springs – a punch has been used on the side of the spring body to retain the spring. For large quantities we can produce a special or bespoke order to meet your needs.
