What's New
Operate in an Internal and External Groove
January 23, 2008

Smalley Spiral Retaining Rings can operate in an internal and an external groove at the same time! Spiral retaining rings have many great benefits for the ID/OD Lock, some of which include concealed fastening, no required assembly tooling and a 360° rotational capacity.

With a Smalley Spiral Retaining Ring, the application is tamper-proof and aesthetically pleasing.

In this featured application, the retaining ring is initially installed in the housing groove. When the mating component in the assembly is added, the retaining ring compresses into the groove. The groove is deep enough for the snap rings radial wall to fit into as the component slides into position. Finally, when the grooves meet, the retaining ring snaps into the shaft groove (groove depth equals 1/2 the retaining rings radial wall) while still in the housing groove.

In the pneumatic fitting application, depicted to the right, a 2-Turn retaining ring without removal notches or an offset, creates an ID/OD lock, permitting the 360° rotation of the nut.

Smalley Steel Ring Company is a manufacturer of spiral retaining rings and wave springs. Smalley has over 7,000 standard parts from 1/4" to 16" as well as specials from .200" to 90 "; all are available in carbon and stainless steel, with No-Tooling-Charges™.

Watch a video of this application.