In this SolidWorks tutorial I will show you how to model a spiral spring in SolidWorks. Spring steel is a low alloy, medium carbon steel or high carbon steel with a very high yield strength. This allows objects made of spring steel to return to their original shape despite significant bending or twisting. But how can you draw a shape like a spiral or spring [...]
In this SolidWorks tutorial I will show you how to model a spiral spring in SolidWorks. Spring steel is a low alloy, medium carbon steel or high carbon steel with a very high yield strength. This allows objects made of spring steel to return to their original shape despite significant bending or twisting. But how can you draw a shape like a spiral or spring in SolidWorks? This is exactly what I want to show you today.
In this tutorial you will learn how to use the following functions:
- 2D sketch
- Create a 2D Circle
- Create a Helix / Spiral
- Create a Swept Boss/Base
Enjoy it!
Open a new part with model units set to millimeters
Go to: File > New > Part
Create a 2D sketch
Select the Top Plane in the feature tree (menu at the left side) and create a sketch by clicking on the 2D Sketch icon 
The display changes so the Top plane faces you.
Create a circle
Go to Tools > Sketch Entities > Circle or click at the Circle icon 
Create a sketch which starts at the Origin 
Change the diameter of the circle into Ø80 mm by clicking at the dimension button 
Click Right Mouse Button > Select to finish the circle 
Create a Helix / Spiral
Go to Insert > Curve > Helix/Spiral or click at the Helix/Spiral icon 
Select the Constant Pitch option
Set the Pitch length to 20 mm
Set the number of Revolutions to 8
Set the Start anlge to 180 deg
Select the Clockwise option
Click OK 
Create a 2D sketch
Select the Right Plane and create a sketch by clicking on the 2D Sketch icon
Create another circle
Go to Tools > Sketch Entities > Circle or click at the Circle icon
Create a circle somewhere at the Right Plane as shown in the picture
Connect the Circle sketch with the Spiral Sketch
Select the midpoint of the circle, hold down the Control key and select the Spiral sketch
Click at Pierce 
The circle is now connected with the Spiral sketch
Change the diameter of the circle into Ø10 mm by clicking at the dimension button
Click Right Mouse Button > Select to finish the circle
Click at the Sketch button in the upper right corner to close the 2D Sketch 
Create a Swept Boss/Base
Go to: Insert > Boss/Base > Sweep or click at the Sweep icon 
Profile 
: Select the blue Sketch2
Path 
: Select the pink Helix/ Spiral1
Click OK
Congratulations, you just finished your own Spring!
Click here to download the SolidWorks file of the Spring
I hope you’ve learned something from this tutorial!
Do you have any suggestions for new SolidWorks tutorials? Feel free to add some suggestions below and I’ll see what I can do for you! 
32 Responses
Thank you!
thanks for your parts
good to know will help in the injection mold design. Do you do mold design tutoring
Congratulation!
Good,but can you just show how to mate a spring inside a hole if you know the method.
Hi Prasanna, thanks for your message. If you want to mate a spring inside a hole I recommend you to mate the center planes of the spring instead of the spring itself. Just click at the Center Plane of the Spring, select the Coincident Mate and select the Center Plane of the hole. Let me know if you’ve any other questions.
Hi Bruce, no I don’t have any Mold design tutorials. I will let you know when I do have a tutorial about mold design.
excuse-me for my english. Very good and very clear your job in this web, but by the spiral, I have a doubt, I don’t found Pierce comand in my solidworks to finish my spiral. Can you help my please.
Thanks for all
Hi Julian, thanks for your message.
Select the midpoint of the small circle, hold down the Control key and select the big circle (not the midpoint of the big circle) and click Pierce as shown in my attached example: http://www.learnsolidworks.com/downloads/Pierce.png
very good. Thank You . Bravo
Verry nice step by step explanation and usefull tutorial. How can I get your other tutorials and ebooks on Solidworks?
Hi Bharat, thanks for your message. Click here for all my other free SolidWorks tutorials: http://learnsolidworks.com/solidworks_tutorials/
If you want to learn everything about SolidWorks I recommend you my Step-by-Step SolidWorks Chopper tutorial. At this moment I offer you a great temporary deal. You can get it here: http://learnsolidworks.com/chopper/
Regards Jan
Thank’s for all Jan, finally I can do it.
Hello
Thank you.
Very Good.
Thanks very much, I am having trouble making thread if you can show me please?
Heng
Hi Heng, I will publish a post about this issue soon. Regards Jan
Your Comments
superb and excellent.
HI Is very good to kow you sendme information but the tutorial I can´t See, Idont know what Ineed do to for see this, if you can help me prlease.
Hi Ramos, I am not sure what you mean. Can’t you see the tutorial above the comments? Maybe you’ve to try to open the LearnSolidWorks website with another web browser like Internet Explorer or Google Chrome.
Very Usefull
Thanks for showing us the best way of using solidworks
This Excellent. Thank You . Bravo
How to flatten the 2 tips so that the spring placed vertically on a plane by touching all the points of the surface?
Hi Ravi,
Add a Boss/Base Revolve at the ends of the spring to make the last twist constant and use the Extruded Cut feature to flatten the surface.
Jan-Willem
Hi Jan-Willem,
Thanks for the tip.
Let me try this.
Ravi
good
Thanks a lot. This is very useful.
Your Comments
thanks for the tutorial.
I’m still learning solid works, and would like to issues pertinent to this, so I can specialize.
If you can, you can send me more about solid works
Valdemir
Hi Vlademir,
If you download the SolidWorks Panton Chair Tutorial you’ll automatically receive messages when I’ve new SolidWorks tutorials available. Click here to download the Panton Chair tutorial: http://learnsolidworks.com/solidworks_tutorials/how-to-model-a-panton-chair-in-solidworks
Your Comments
very good and useful, thanks
Hi Jan-Willem,
i want to ask you how to measure the path length of spiral.
thanks
Hi Agung,
Go to: Tools > Measure > And click at the Spiral
Jan-Willem