May 1, 2013 –

Design 2 Part show is May 22nd and 23rd at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The show includes businesses involved in manufacturing, electronics, and advanced medical products together under one roof in a B2B atmosphere. Come by booth #507 to visit Helical Products Company and witness the buzz about Helical’s dynamic demonstration of flexible couplings. You can talk to an engineer, pick up a free sample, or get more information about the HELI-CAL Machined Spring™! For more information or to register your company, visit D2P.com/sc.

HELI-CAL Flexure couplings provide a wide range of designs for ultimate end use efficiency. They compensate for angular, parallel, or skewed misalignment and also to relieve stress. Standard sizes in various materials are available, in addition to custom designs and special end connections.

Helical also creates custom machined springs that provide advantages over wire wound springs. Some advantages include; resolved moments, no rotation during compression, and custom end attachments. Performance of the HELI-CAL Machined Spring has proven to be predictable and repeatable while meeting dimensionally tight tolerances.

Helical Products Company, Inc. has been in business over 50 years. Our engineering team has a combined experience of 140 years designing and manufacturing the HELI-CAL Flexure for controlling mechanical movements, specializing in machined springs and flexible couplings.

For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA 93456. Toll Free (877)353-9873, Fax (805)928-2369, Web site:
www.Heli-Cal.com.

April 30th, 2013 – 17-4ph stainless steel provides twice the torque capacity

SANTA MARIA, CA., March 29, 2013 – Helical’s 17-4PH stainless steel couplings are ideal when high strength, excellent fatigue resistance and high torsional stiffness are called for in an application. Helical is the only company offering a standard product line of beam couplings made of 17-4PH stainless steel. When compared to both 303 stainless steel and 7075-T6 aluminum, 17-4PH provides twice the torque and can operate up to 600F, which is ideal when used for heavy duty applications such as lead screws, positioning systems, pumps and processing equipment. Helical couplings are machined from a solid piece of material, and when the unique HELI-CAL ® Flexure is incorporated they can compensate for angular, parallel or skewed misalignment, while providing axial compliance, constant velocity and smooth bearing loads.

Our series of couplings offer the engineer a large range for torque applications, or our engineers can design, develop and produce a custom HELI-CAL ® Flexure to meet your specific requirements. The W series (metric) from 1.2-39 Nm, the H series has a torque range from 2.4-100 lbin, and the MC series from 40-556 lbin. The MC Series has higher torque capacity and torsional stiffness and has two sets of flexures for increased parallel offset. This makes the MC series a great choice for conveyor systems, and industrial processing equipment where absolute reliability is required. All three series include configurations with reliefs, set screws, or integral clamp attachments.

Helical Products Company, Inc. has been in business over 50 years. Our engineering team has a combined experience of 140 years designing and manufacturing the HELI-CAL Flexure for controlling mechanical movements, specializing in machined springs and flexible couplings.

For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA 93456. Toll Free (877)353-9873, Fax (805)928-2369, Web site: www.Heli-Cal.com.

Flexible Couplings

Infograph Alert!

Want a new perspective on Wire Wound Springs VS. Machined Springs? Helical Products Company has created its very first InfoGraph to illustrate the differences between Wire Wound and Machined Springs. Follow the path to learn more about why the HELI-CAL Machined Spring^® is the best choice!

You know all about wire-wound springs, but what do you know about MACHINED SPRINGS? Many discerning and experienced engineers have used them for special and critical applications for decades and you can get in on this exciting technology. Helical Products uses bar stock to create machined springs which are really works of art. Since all features are machined from solid material, almost any custom feature can be incorporated into your spring product; reducing part count, enhancing precision improved linearity, and reducing costly maintenance issues. You can save inventory cost by reducing part count, and provide maintenance free assemblies with this technology!

So, if you are looking to talk to an applications engineer or representative do not hesitate to contact us! We want you to try the HELI-CAL Machined Spring solution today. All you have to do is contact one of our factory trained representatives in your area and they can take you through the design process. They will come out and with our seed box show you firsthand what our products look like. Or, if you want, you can explore many of the solutions we have provided by touring our website, www.Heli-cal.com. Additionally, or engineers are available during business hours (PST) for consultations on your concept. Take advantage of this great benefit today!

Click to enlarge

April 19, 2012 – Helical Products Company, in coordination with Design World, hosted a webinar explaining the differences between machined and wire wound springs. Helical’s Senior Engineer, Gary Boehm, presented the informative webinar based on the White Paper titled “Wire Springs versus Machined Springs, A Comparison”. The webinar gave viewers a glimpse into the science behind machined springs and their advantages over traditional wire springs.  The presentation was tailored towards engineers and other technical personnel, but was open to anyone who wished to attend. There was an in-depth Question and Answer period afterward as Gary fielded questions from a variety of machine designers and engineers. If you missed this educational webinar and would like to gain insight into this unique technology click on the link below.

http://goo.gl/3Mo4K

If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Our team of application engineers has over 50 years of Engineering Experience and can be contacted directly at engineering@heli-cal.com. You may also visit our website at www.Heli-Cal.com to view some of our products and to place a request about your own project.

Be on the lookout for other upcoming webinars, and follow Helical on Twitter @helicalproducts. Or visit us on YouTube to watch some of our demo videos. See you soon!

 For Immediate Release

November 18, 2011 — Helical Products Company, Inc. is proud to announce that several of its parts are present on NASA’s latest space explorer, the Mars Science Laboratory “Curiosity” rover. Helical’s engineering team designed and manufactured both flexible couplings and machined springs for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, working closely with JPL’s engineers on these precise, custom designs.

Among these parts is a custom flexible coupling to be used in the Vibration Mechanism in the Sample Acquisition & Sample Processing and Handling (SASPaH) subsystem at the end of the Robotic Arm. This system, located at the front of the rover, is responsible for gathering soil samples from Mars’ rocky surface. Vibration, aided by the flexible coupling, is utilized to pass the powder through sifters and ultimately through the sampling system.  From there, these particles are then processed and examined with the rover’s analytical instruments.

In addition to flexible couplings, the Curiosity Rover is also equipped with several Helical Machined Springs. These particular devices are used as a locking latch in the rocket deploy pivot mechanism. Once the rover is deployed on Mars, the pivot rotates and the latch locks it in place. Helical was able to design the spring to meet the following customer requirements: compression and lateral translation spring rates, end attachments, and titanium material for its lightweight characteristic. Application engineer, Michael Haber, adds, “With this design, we’ve created a very reliable and elegant solution.  The double-start flexure adds redundancy and confidence that the spring will operate the latch.  The spring also showcases the advantage of Helical Products technology to combine a number of components and features into one part which further increases reliability – a major concern for the Mars Rover especially since parts won’t be serviceable.”

Matthew Bush, Helical’s application engineer responsible for the flexible coupling design, is very excited about the launch, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 26^th. He points out the extensiveness of this massive project stating, “I worked with JPL, and our analyst Gary Boehm, on calculations and design of this coupling for about 5 months before we started to manufacture the parts. The engineers at JPL want to make certain that they evaluate every aspect of our part and how it affects the system that they are integrating it into.”  

This rover is the biggest one yet to roam the red planet, measuring up to the size of a standard car here on Earth. Mars Curiosity will be joining Mars Opportunity, which has been exploring the planet since January of 2004. The new rover is due to land in the Gale crater by August 2012.

Helical Products Company, Inc. has had products launch into space before, including springs on the original Mars “Sojourner” Rover back in 1997. Outside of Mars, Helical currently has parts on the International Space Station (including the ones on the COLBERT Treadmill) and the Hubble Space Telescope that has remained in operation since 1990.

 For Immediate Release

October 17, 2011 – Often viewed as interchangeable products, wire wound springs and machined springs actually prove different in numerous ways. “Wire Springs versus Machined Springs: A Comparison” is a white paper full of insights, charts, and photos that goes into depth pointing out the pros and cons of both products.

Before delving into this technical paper, curious engineers can now watch a brief video featuring Gary Boehm, an Application Analyst at Helical Products Company, Inc. and sole author of the white paper. Both the video and the white paper are now available for viewing on Helical Products’ website under Request Information > White Papers or by simply clicking on this link: http://bit.ly/q6ZJtB.

Located in Santa Maria, California since 1973, Helical Products’ manufacturing facility has grown to 60,000 square feet and over 100 employees.  As a result of excellent quality, Helical has become the standard for improving performance capabilities in today’s motion control world.

Contact: Lauren Soares

For Immediate Release

September 12, 2011 — “What are machined springs?” is a question with which Helical Products Company, Inc. is very familiar. Determined to answer that exact question in detail, the manufacturing company has recently uploaded a series of videos highlighting the several solutions made possible through the application of machined springs. These custom flexures provide the solution to several complex motion control dilemmas, exhibiting pure moments, resolved moments, and no rotation during compression. Helical Products is continuously updating its YouTube channel with fresh material, exposing the engineering expertise behind this well-established company.

Helical Products was founded in 1958 and is the originator the HELI-CAL® Flexure, making bar stock flexible. Located in Santa Maria, California, the company’s manufacturing facility has tripled in size since 1983. Because of its excellent quality, Helical Products has become the standard for improving performance capabilities in today’s manufacturing world.

For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA 93456. Toll Free (877)353-9873, Fax (805)928-2369, Web site: www.Heli-Cal.com.

Contact: Lauren Soares

 For Immediate Release

May 23, 2011 – What are HELI-CAL® Flexures capable of doing? What industries can they be applied to? Well, a new series of Flexure Facts has been posted to the company’s website which will give answers to these very questions.

Each Flexure Fact is a scenario where Helical Products was approached by a customer who had a specific motion control problem. With its engineering expertise, the company took on each challenge and was able to come up with unique solutions in order to eliminate the customer’s previously held dilemma.  

How did Helical’s application engineers use their knowledge in the industrial field to combine three separate parts into one single machined spring with four different spring rates? What about in the aerospace industry with parts that had to meet performance requirements of axial stiffness, lateral stiffness, modal response, and imposed weight constraints?

Learn how by exploring these eight new application stories here: http://bit.ly/lMwURB

In addition, most Flexure Facts are accompanied by sales drawings of each part to give engineer’s a more detailed look into each innovative solution.

Contact: Lauren Soares

February 17, 2011
For Immediate Release

February 17, 2011 – Helical Products Company, Inc. now has a presence in the world of social media. Be sure to connect with them on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube!

Twitter will be used to document live events, whether at a trade show or to post an exciting new announcement about the company. LinkedIn is a tool that can be utilized by other professionals who want to connect and learn more about the company. Lastly, Helical’s YouTube channel will be used as an educational multimedia channel to give engineers and potential customers a chance to peer inside the company.  Users will be exposed to a hands-on experience through product demonstrations of machined springs and flexible couplings which utilize HELI-CAL® Flexure technology. 

To check out one of these venues click on the appropriate button on our home page or simply follow the links below:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/HelicalProducts

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/companies/helical-products-company-inc.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/helicalproducts

Contact: Lauren Soares

January 11, 2011
For Immediate Release

January 11, 2011 – Over 600 3D CAD solid models representing Helical Products Company’s standard product line have just been made available for viewing and downloading in 27 different CAD formats.  “Being able to download solid models in so many formats will make design of new assemblies quicker and more accurate,” says Randy Kingsbury, VP of Sales and Marketing and a Mechanical Engineer.

Through joining forces with TraceParts, the company’s website (www.heli-cal.com) now features links which allow anyone with internet access to delve into every dimension of Helical’s standard flexible shaft couplings.

Simply visit http://heli-cal.com/cm/Products/Flexible-Couplings/Home.html. When browsing through the different series charts, the corresponding CAD Model link will appear for each Helical coupling and the model can then be previewed and downloaded directly from the TraceParts website.

Located in Santa Maria, California, since 1973, Helical’s manufacturing facility has grown to 60,000 sq ft. Today, the company manufactures machined springs, flexible couplings, and u-joints. Because of its excellent quality, Helical has become the standard for improving performance capabilities in today’s manufacturing world.

For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA  93456.  Toll Free (877)353-9873, Fax (805)928-2369, Website: www.Heli-Cal.com.

Contact: Randy Kingsbury

December 21, 2010
For Immediate Release

December 21, 2010 – Helical Products Company is emerging itself into the multimedia realm of the internet. A YouTube channel can now be found highlighting the company and its product line of HELI-CAL® Flexures.

An assortment of technical videos will soon be posted, explaining exclusive features of Helical’s machined springs, u-joints, and flexible shaft couplings. Videos will highlight the different capabilities and versatility of each product in terms of its form, function, and reliability, giving engineers and consumers a better insight into the capabilities of the HELI-CAL® Flexure.

To view the Helical YouTube channel and explore its collection of videos please visit: www.youtube.com/user/HelicalProducts

For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA  93456.  Toll Free (877)353-9873, Fax (805)928-2369, Website: www.Heli-Cal.com.

Contact: Lauren Soares

July 15, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tom Puerling

July 15, 2010—Customized “machined” springs enable designers to integrate multiple features into one piece.  These unique springs can be designed specifically to address requirements for rate, reactions at desired deflections, combined rates, modal properties, weight and inertial limits.  Another advantage is that customer specified end attachments such as tangs, clamps, flanges or threaded ends can be integrated into the single multi-functional component.

More than one spring coil set (multiple starts) can be designed into a given part to provide a broad range of spring rates and functionality within a given size (envelope).

For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA  93456.  Tel (805)928-3851, Fax (805)928-2369, Web site: http//www.Heli-Cal.com.

April 27, 2010
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tom Puerling

April 27, 2010—Helical Products Company’s “machined” springs can provide linear deflection rates.  Unlike traditional wire wound springs, virtually all residual stresses are absent.  There are no internal stresses to overcome before deflection occurs, which can be the case with traditional springs.  With machined springs, all coils deflect under load.

One big advantage of machined springs with two or more integral coils is that not only are there redundant elastic elements should a failure occur, but a failed element (coil) will be physically trapped by a second coil, (or multiple coils).  In many cases a broken spring will continue to function.

There is no tendency for machined springs to squirm when deflected and no restraint is required to resolve the free moment.  Multiple starts (coils) make loading points irrelevant on the radius of the spring and also increase parallelism accuracy.  With machined springs, perpendicularity, parallelism, lateral bending, axial and torsional rates can be for all intents and purposes guaranteed.

  For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA  93456.  Toll Free (877)353-9873, Fax (805)928-2369, Web site: www.Heli-Cal.com.

December 16, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tom Puerling
SANTA MARIA, CA., December 16, 2009–The HELI-CAL® Flexure is a flexible helix (curved beam) machined into a unique configuration that incorporates special design requirements, performance features and/or characteristics. The material is basically unlimited.

            When used as a spring, the multi-functional flexure provides desired and predictable elastic performance in compression, extension, torsion, lateral bending and lateral translation modes.

            One huge advantage of this technology—it enables customer specified end-attachments, such as tangs, clamps, flanges or threaded ends to be integrated into a single multi-functional component.

For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA 93456. Toll Free 877-353-9873, Fax (805)928-2369, Web site: http//www.Heli-Cal.com.

September 15, 2009 – Helical Products Company, Inc. announced today that it has been re-certified to ISO 9001:2000 and the more stringent AS9100 Rev.B quality assurance standard by Orion Registrar, Inc. The AS9100 certification is a globally recognized aerospace–sector standard that defines the quality–system requirements for suppliers in the aerospace industry. AS9100 is based on ISO 9001:2000 with approximately 80 additional requirements plus other qualifications and 18 amplifications.(Click here for Certificate)

According to Helical’s Quality Manager, Leroy McChesney, “Recertification is part of our ongoing process of business improvement. Each audit cycle reinforces the quality management system and strengthens it with new elements. Next year’s audit cycle will include adoption of the ISO9001:2008 standard, with adoption of AS9100C:2009 aerospace quality standard the following year.”

Helical Products is the originator of the HELI-CAL® Flexure, a coil pattern that can be designed to affect and improve performance features such as torque capacity, angular misalignment, axial movement, parallel offset, torsional stiffness and compression spring rate. Basically it makes bar stock flexible. Current products are flexible shaft couplings, u-joints and “machined” springs. Applications range from the need by manufacturers to control motion, create a multi-functional component, or simply make their equipment work better. From a heart pump to a space station torque wrench, uses are adaptable to many diverse products and industries.

Helical was founded in 1958 and its primary market was the military, which provided a base to branch out into various commercial applications. Over 7500 successful Helical designs have been used to improve aircraft construction, pinsetters, racecars, baseball pitching machines and many other products. This cites the compatibility of adapting the product to a wide variety of uses.

Located in Santa Maria, California, since 1973, Helical’s manufacturing facility has grown to 60,000 sq ft. Because of its excellent quality, Helical has become the standard for improving performance capabilities in today’s manufacturing world.

For more information contact Helical Products Company, Inc., P.O. Box 1069, Santa Maria, CA 93456. Tel (877)353-9873, Fax (805)928-2369>, Web site: http//www.Heli-Cal.com.