In high-reliability environments, a single faulty connection can bring an entire system to a halt. Consistent electrical connectivity is non-negotiable, whether you’re designing a surgical device, an electric vehicle battery, or a satellite communication module. That’s where canted coil springs—also known as slant coil springs—come into play. These precision components deliver mechanical integrity and electrical conduction in a single compact, customizable form.
This article examines how canted coil springs function, their unique suitability for electrical conduction, and the diverse industries that benefit from their performance.
What Are Canted Coil Springs?
Canted coil springs are helically wound springs with a distinctive slanted coil geometry. Canted coil springs deflect with a predictable radial force rather than compressing along a single axis like traditional springs. This unique construction allows them to maintain uniform, controlled contact pressure—ideal for applications where reliability is key.
Unlike flat or conical springs, canted coil springs generate contact at multiple points along their circumference. This design makes them incredibly versatile. In fact, engineers commonly used canted coil springn applications requiring precise force control, EMI shielding, secure mechanical latching, and, crucially, electrical conduction.
Canted Coil Spring and Electrical Connectivity: How It Works
An electrical connectivity application typically places a canted coil spring between two conductive surfaces, such as a connector housing and contact ring. The spring’s slanted coils deflect slightly, pressing outward or inward to maintain multi-point contact between the mating surfaces.
This contact redundancy provides a consistent low-resistance electrical path, even under vibration, thermal cycling, or slight misalignment. The result is a stable current transfer mechanism with excellent signal fidelity and minimal wear.
By distributing the conduction path across many points, the spring avoids the pitfalls of single-contact systems, such as localized arcing or overheating. Engineers can tune the spring to achieve desired contact forces and electrical resistance values, tailoring performance to the specific demands of the application.
Why Canted Coil Springs Outperform Traditional Contact Solutions
Compared to conventional conduction components—like pin contacts, blade terminals, or rigid busbar interfaces—canted coil springs offer distinct advantages:
Multi-point redundancy: Reduces the risk of contact failure due to contamination, vibration, or misalignment
Consistent contact force: Prevents arcing, overheating, and wear at the contact interface
Flexible integration: Adapts to tight design envelopes and dynamic mating conditions
Long service life: Durable construction and reliable deflection characteristics extend operational lifespan
These factors make canted coil spring conduction particularly attractive for mission-critical applications where downtime or signal loss is unacceptable.
Industries and Applications
The versatility of canted coil spring conduction spans multiple sectors:
Medical Devices: Reliable electrical contacts in surgical tools, implantables, and diagnostic equipment
Aerospace & Defense: EMI-shielded connectors and vibration-tolerant current paths in avionics and satellites
Electric Vehicles: High-density spring contacts in battery modules, charging systems, and control electronics
Industrial Automation: Rotating interfaces and slip rings in robotic arms and sensors
Telecom & Data Centers: Compact, high-frequency electrical connectors for server and communication hardware
Each industry depends on secure, repeatable electrical connections in environments where failure is not an option. Advanced EMC canted coil spring products can benefit each one.
Conclusion
Canted coil springs provide more than just mechanical support—they deliver consistent, low-resistance electrical conduction in compact, high-performance applications. Their multi-point contact design offers superior reliability, adaptability, and durability when compared to conventional contact solutions.
For engineers and decision-makers across various industries, canted coil spring conduction provides an innovative, scalable solution for meeting challenging electrical interface requirements. Explore Advanced EMC’s complete line of slant coil spring technologies to discover how precision connectivity can elevate your next project.
Over the past decade, high-performance polymers such as PEEK, PPS, PTFE, and Ultem have become essential in mission-critical industries. Such industries may require solutions that exhibit chemical resistance, thermal stability, and lightweight strength. Their potential often hinges on precision CNC machining, where even micron-level errors can compromise medical implants, RF components, or semiconductor parts.
This article examines the distinct machining challenges presented by these polymers compared to metals, providing engineering-focused insights and best practices to help translate advanced material properties into reliable, manufacturable components.
Precision Machined Polymer Components: From Niche to Necessity
At one time, polymer components were considered second-tier alternatives to metal and were deemed acceptable only for non-load-bearing or chemically inert roles. That era is over. Today’s advanced engineered plastics routinely outperform metals in applications where weight, corrosion resistance, dielectric properties, and thermal stability are critical.
In aerospace, polymers such as PEEK and PEI are replacing aluminum and titanium in components where vibration damping, flame resistance, and lightweighting are crucial. In the semiconductor industry, materials such as PCTFE and PTFE are used for fluid handling and wafer processing, where purity, chemical resistance, and dimensional stability must be maintained across extreme temperature fluctuations. And in the medical device space, biocompatible plastics are being machined into implantable components with sub-millimeter precision.
In these contexts, injection molding isn’t always a viable solution. CNC machining offers the flexibility to prototype and produce low- to mid-volume parts while meeting tight tolerances and surface finish requirements that molded parts may struggle to achieve. For polymer components that demand complex geometries, micron-level precision, and fast iteration cycles, machining isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity.
CNC Precision Machining of Polymers: Capabilities and Constraints
CNC machining has long been associated with metals, but its application to advanced polymers has opened up new possibilities for high-precision plastic components. While the basic principles remain the same—computer-controlled removal of material via turning, milling, drilling, or routing—the behavior of polymers under machining conditions differs significantly from that of metals, and these differences can have critical implications in manufacturing.
Polymers like PEEK, Ultem, and Delrin respond differently to heat and mechanical stress than aluminum or steel. Their relatively low thermal conductivity means that heat builds up at the cutting interface, which can lead to softening, dimensional drift, or even surface deformation. This makes toolpath design, spindle speed, and chip evacuation critical—not just for productivity but also for part quality.
Another key distinction is in workholding and fixturing. Many engineered plastics are susceptible to creep and stress relaxation, especially under prolonged clamping pressure. For parts that demand tolerances within ±0.001″, overly aggressive clamping can introduce distortion that doesn’t present until after the part is removed from the fixture. Engineers and machinists must account for this during both part design and process planning.
Despite these challenges, CNC machining remains one of the most effective methods for manufacturing complex, low- to mid-volume polymer components. It supports the kind of geometries, material-specific clearances, and surface finish requirements often found in medical implants, semiconductor tooling, or aerospace applications—where injection molding simply can’t deliver the needed precision.
Common Challenges in Machining High-Performance Plastics
Several common challenges exist in relation to the CNC machining of advanced polymers.
Thermal Sensitivity and Dimensional Drift: Unlike metals, high-performance polymers have low thermal conductivity and relatively high coefficients of thermal expansion. This means that even minor heat buildup at the cutting zone can cause localized softening, leading to warping, dimensional drift, or loss of tolerance. The best approach to mitigation is the use sharp tools, moderate feeds, and high chip evacuation rates to minimize heat accumulation.
Chip Control and Surface Quality: Polymers often produce long, stringy chips that can rewrap around the tool or interfere with surface finish. To minimize the effects, machinists can optimize tool geometry for plastic cutting (e.g., positive rake angles, polished flutes) and adjust parameters to encourage chip breakage.
Workholding Without Distortion: Polymers are more elastic and less stiff than metals, which makes them susceptible to deformation under clamping pressure. Design fixtures can be designed to provide support without excessive force, and the use soft jaws, vacuum fixtures, or conformal fixturing can also help.
Burr Formation and Deburring Difficulty: Some polymers tend to form fibrous burrs that are resistant to mechanical removal. This can be addressed by choosing cutting strategies that minimize burrs, and cryogenic deburring may be an option for batch processing burr-prone parts.
Contamination Control: In cleanroom and medical applications, particulate generation or residual lubricants can be unacceptable. This can be mitigated through the use of dry machining protocols, HEPA filtration, and cleanroom-ready packaging when required.
Common Challenges in Machining High-Performance Plastics
Several common challenges exist in relation to the CNC machining of advanced polymers.
Thermal Sensitivity and Dimensional Drift: Unlike metals, high-performance polymers have low thermal conductivity and relatively high coefficients of thermal expansion. This means that even minor heat buildup at the cutting zone can cause localized softening, leading to warping, dimensional drift, or loss of tolerance. The best approach to mitigation is the use sharp tools, moderate feeds, and high chip evacuation rates to minimize heat accumulation.
Chip Control and Surface Quality: Polymers often produce long, stringy chips that can rewrap around the tool or interfere with surface finish. To minimize the effects, machinists can optimize tool geometry for plastic cutting (e.g., positive rake angles, polished flutes) and adjust parameters to encourage chip breakage.
Workholding Without Distortion: Polymers are more elastic and less stiff than metals, which makes them susceptible to deformation under clamping pressure. Design fixtures can be designed to provide support without excessive force, and the use soft jaws, vacuum fixtures, or conformal fixturing can also help.
Burr Formation and Deburring Difficulty: Some polymers tend to form fibrous burrs that are resistant to mechanical removal. This can be addressed by choosing cutting strategies that minimize burrs, and cryogenic deburring may be an option for batch processing burr-prone parts.
Contamination Control: In cleanroom and medical applications, particulate generation or residual lubricants can be unacceptable. This can be mitigated through the use of dry machining protocols, HEPA filtration, and cleanroom-ready packaging when required.
Lack of Collaboration Between Design and Machining Teams: One of the most common causes of part failure is a disconnect between design intent and manufacturing reality. Designers who understand machining constraints can proactively reduce revisions, while machinists with insight into application needs can deliver parts that function flawlessly in the field. Early collaboration around material selection, fixturing strategy, and critical dimensions dramatically improves both quality and efficiency.
Looking Ahead: Precision Polymers and the Next Generation of Innovation
The next wave of applications—EVs, microfluidics, space systems—demands more from polymer machining than ever before. Smaller, cleaner materials, faster cycles. CNC machining, especially when combined with new hybrid and additive approaches, will be crucial in bridging the gap between cutting-edge designs and reliable, real-world parts. Sustainability and innovation will go hand-in-hand.
Conclusion
Precision machining of high-performance polymers is no longer a specialized exception—it’s fast becoming the norm across advanced industries. Success in this space requires a deep understanding of processes, material knowledge, and cross-functional collaboration. When engineers and machinists align, exceptional parts follow.
If your team is working with high-performance polymers, now’s the time to elevate your machining strategy. Talk with your machinists early. Share your design requirements clearly. And seek out partners who specialize in translating polymer behavior into precision parts.
At Advanced EMC, we continue to invest in the materials knowledge, process controls, and engineering communication that make precision polymer machining repeatable—even for the most challenging parts. Let’s build something exceptional, together.
