Product sheet
Category sheet
Custom spacer
  • 35 million spacers produced each year
  • Co-designer of custom fasteners for 100 years and manufacturer of standard products
  • From M6 to M10 and from 8 mm to 30 mm (internal diameter adapted to the passage of a screw)
  • Steel, stainless steel, brass, etc. (other materials are available on request).

A spacer makes it possible to create space, position several elements or protect the integrity of an assembly by limiting the compression load exerted.

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Manufacturing made-to-order spacers

Renowned design, manufacturing & improvement methods
Our customers and their application cases
Today, let's produce your fastener for tomorrow
Every step of the way, from design to mass production
1
Co-design & development
Our design department’s engineers will help you determine your project’s specifications and technical requirements.
Feasability study via the FMECA method (Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis), allowing us to analyse failure modes, their consequences and their criticality.
2
Prototyping & tests
Once the concept has been validated, our development team will make prototypes with the help of 3D printers and software such as SolidWorks Premium and Spacerclaim.
Producing medium-sized sample runs and validating the product in line with the PPAP process and IATF 16949 standard.
3
Industrialisation & production
Manufacturing does not begin until a production monitoring plan is approved by a multidisciplinary team dedicated to the project.
Development of detailed production processes via the APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) framework.
4
Assessment & improvement
After three to six months of mass production, the project will be assessed for 100% compliance according to criteria laid out by the IATF 16949 standard.
Collecting and analysing production data in order to pinpoint trends and variations. 3PPM in 2023.
Production that supports you

Advantages of manufacturing with LGC Industries

Schéma illustrant la capacité de production de LGC
130 precision engineering machines
- 24 multi-spindle lathes
- 45 Escomatic machines
- 42 grooving machines
- 8 plunge & through-feed grinding machines
Fastening know-how from a renowned maufacturer
certification ford q1certification iso 45001
certification ecovadiscertification iso 14001
certification IATFcertification iso 9001
LGC Industries designs and produces over 1 million parts every day
Technical information on our products
Technical information on our products
Glossary
Spacer
Products
Rigid cylindrical part with three different functions. The first is to link two parts while keeping them at a certain distance. The second is centring and aligning two components - here, the spacer must have a very precise external diameter (about ten microns). Finally, the third function (compression spacer), aims to reinforce a component that is usually weaker than the spacer, e.g. plastic. In the second and third functions, the spacer is said to be hollow, i.e. a screw can fit through its internal diameter. This can also be the case during the first function. Synonym: dowel pin.
Knurled spacer
Products
Hollow cylindrical part with a knurl, which helps hold back the spacer during assembly. Knurled spacers serve the same purpose as compression limiters.
Threaded spacer
Products
Hollow, rigid cylindrical part with a threaded external diameter. This part can be overmoulded into plastic, serving the same purpose as a compression limiter.
Compression limiter
Products
Rigid, hollow cylindrical part used to ensure the integrity of anchoring zones in a plastic part.
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Co-designing and producing custom spacers

The type of mechanical spacer (aka "bush", "bushing" or "sleeve") you need depends on the purpose it will serve in the assembly.

Custom spacers are used to serve different purposes in an assembly:

  • Maintaining space: Spacers can maintain a fixed, precise space between two components, ensuring the assembly's stability. It acts as a "separator" between parts.
  • Precise alignment: Spacers allow two parts to be perfectly centred or aligned in relation to each other, which can be useful in moving mechanisms that require high precision.
  • Reducing friction & distributing loads: Thanks to its sturdy design (metal), spacers can support and distribute loads of up to a tonne without any deformation.

The type of cylindrical metal spacer best suited to your project will depend on factors such as surface finish, material, and mechanical properties.

Stages of co-designing custom spacers at LGC

Co-designing made to order spacers is a structured process, combining technical know-how and an understanding of the client's specific requirements. Each step in the co-design process contributes to finding a solution that is perfectly suited to the assembly's mechanical and functional specifications.

The first step involves gathering any key information about the end application:

  • Purpose of the spacer: Maintaining space, fastening, centring, reducing friction, etc.
  • Context of use: Thermal or chemical stresses, vibrations and specific environments.
  • Dimensional precision: Tolerances and requirements regarding the chain of dimensions, allowing for a perfect fit between the custom spacer and the surrounding parts, all while respecting the necessary tolerances.

Using this information, we will carry out a detailed analysis (via simulation software) of the mechanical stresses that the spacer will be subject to, e.g.:

  • Compressive & tensile loads
  • Shear force, bending & twisting
  • Stresses related to vibrations and deformations.

Depending on the possible stresses identified for your made-to-measure spacer, we will advise you on the type of material you should use - steel, aluminium, stainless steel or brass.

Once the design is finalised, we will give technical recommendations to help produce the prototypes, which will in turn allow us to validate any technical choices and carry out tests on a machine bed in realistic operating conditions.

When everything has been validated, closely monitored production can begin on the custom spacers:

  • Quality control at each step of the process
  • Upholding necessary standards and certifications for producing made-to-order spacers
  • Guaranteed high production rate for clients that need it
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