What is a Spring Clip?
Let’s start with the most basic question – what is a spring clip? These distinctive machined clips are used to hold cylindrical objects such as tools in place via spring tension. They can also be used to connect and attach moving parts in engines and other mechanical equipment.
Spring clips typically have a distinctive hooked U-shape, with an extended base attached via a screw. They are most commonly made from sheet metal or plastic.
The spring-clip fasteners allow the cylindrical objects to be quickly snapped into place or pulled out.
The strength of the grip varies according to the material used and the thickness of the gripping arms, but all provide a sturdy connection that will withstand gravity, pressure and vibration.
They are also known as terry clips and tool clips and are often available in bulk packs or kits for convenience.
Types of Spring Clips
Terry clips are available in various sizes, shapes, diameters, and specifications that are suitable for different uses. Some of the commonly known types include the following:
Flat Spring Clip
Flat terry clips is the simplest type of clips and are U-shaped. They used to hold thin components, cards, and paper.
Wire Spring Clips
You can use wire spring clips for many applications that include distributing the pressure and clamping and housing greenhouses’ glass panes.
Small Metal Spring Clips
Some uses of small metal spring clips include attaching cards to lanyards and badge reel attachments that are useful for holding the ID cards and other such things as clothing.
Circular Spring Clips
As the name indicates, these terry clips are circular or round in shape and often used as hooks, such as keyrings.
U-Shaped Metal Spring Clips
The primary use of U-shape metal terry clips is the assembly of furniture springs and specialist components like flanges or glass panels. The former connects pipes and valves.
Command Spring Clips
Command Spring Clips are very small and lightweight; however, they provide strong adhesion properties. They are perfect for hanging pictures, notices, bags, jackets, clipboards, clocks, etc.
Spring Button Clip
Spring button clips used to securely hold the two-part sliding tube components mostly used for engineering tasks. Moreover, they consist of a button in the inner tube that clicks into a hole present in the external tube, securing the tube into place.
Heavy-Duty Terry Clips
Heavy-duty terry clips used for many applications, including securely attaching heavy items such as a hammer rack and chisel to walls or boards. They highly preferred because of their durability.
Other types of clips sometimes referred to as ‘spring clips’ include:
Transistor clips or gull-wing clips
Small sheet metal clips which screw down onto a circuit board to clamp a transistor to a heat sink.
R-clips or R-pins
A sprung pin, which has a straight section, is bent to form a ring at the head and then has a curved section returning offset from the straight pin.
The straight pin is designed to be pushed through a hole in a shaft, the curved section then clips around the outside of the shaft, retaining the pin in place. A finger can be inserted through the ring at the head to pull the pin out of the hole.
Linchpin
A pin with a separate ring attached. Used in similar applications to an R-clip. The pin is inserted through a hole in a shaft and the ring is folded over to prevent the pin from being removed.
The ring has each end attached to the pin with an offset, causing it to stay clipped in the open or closed position. Linchpins are only suitable for use at the end of a shaft whereas R-clips may be used anywhere along a shaft.
Spring hose clamps
A clamp designed to hold a hose onto a spigot, serving a similar purpose to a jubilee clip, but allowing rapid attachment and removal.
The resting position of the clamp has a smaller diameter than the pipe being clamped and two handles are squeezed together to increase the diameter to enable fitting and removal.
What are Spring Clips Used for?
However, they are very simple and versatile components that can used in various applications, including:
- Holding tools with circular handles – e.g. hammers, screwdrivers, spanners and pliers – on tool storage boards
- Holding mobile phones and tablets upright for quick and easy access
- Fastening phones, pagers and similar devices to clothing
- Holding wiring and cables in place within electrical systems
- Dampening vibration in automotive machinery by connecting moving parts
- Securing pipes, tubing and brackets to walls, floors or radiators
- The clips are used in vehicle engine bays, farms, and building sites
- To clamp together manufacturing components – for example, refrigerator door liners or seals
- For picture framing – clamping frames to their backboards
- As hangers for protective window screens
- For attaching roller chain links. Roller chains are the rotating drive chains used to transmit mechanical power in many types of equipment, including bicycles
- Attaching strainers or baskets to kitchen sinks to catch food debris