Smalley Blog

June 23, 2020	Special Rings: Self-Locking, Balanced, and ID/OD Lock Smalley Spirolox Retaining Rings are the trusted industry solution because of their unique configuration, reliability, and convenience across thousands of applications. While we have five standard types of retaining rings broken down into 30 configurations, we also know that every application is unique. If one of our standard retaining rings does not fit your application requirements, we... Read More>>
June 15, 2020	Smalley Spirolox® Retaining Ring vs. Stamped Circlip While there are a variety of retaining rings available in the industry, engineers specify Spirolox retaining rings, because of their unique configuration, reliability, and convenience. This blog compares a traditional circlip to a Smalley Spirolox retaining ring, as there are notable differences between them. What makes a Smalley Spirolox® retaining ring different, and what is the advantage of... Read More>>
May 29, 2020	Retaining Ring Types and Selection So you completed the first step by learning what a retaining ring is, as well as when and why you should use one. (Not sure? Check out: Retaining Ring Overview) Now you’re searching by using our Part Tool Search. You tried looking up a retaining ring based on the size of your housing or shaft diameter. Here comes the realization that you have many different ring types and options to choose from... Read More>>
May 12, 2020	What is a Retaining Ring? Smalley's Retaining Ring Overview Nails, screws, nuts, bolts, pins- the list goes on. What do these all have in common? They hold things together. When you staple a piece of paper or hang a painting on a wall, you’re joining two things together through the means of a fastener. So if we have many different types of fasteners, how do I know which one to use? Figuring out which fastener to use goes back to the application. Factors... Read More>>
May 8, 2020	Top 6 Overlooked Benefits of a Custom-Engineered Design Could switching to a custom save you money? Picture this – you’re looking at our retaining ring selection guide to find a ring suitable for your application. You locate a ring series that looks promising. You flip through the catalog in search of the standard part, only to discover that the required dimensions don’t quite line up. At this point, should you redesign your assembly to... Read More>>
April 27, 2020	Ask the Expert - Tensile Strength vs. Hardness: Importance for Wave Spring and Retaining Ring Design Welcome back to the Ask the Expert blog. The blog is designed to help educate you on all things retaining rings and wave springs. This week, we talk about tensile strength and why it’s important in wave spring and retaining ring design. To ensure you know how a material will perform in a working environment, several physical properties can be measured to better understand material behavior.... Read More>>
April 14, 2020	Helping the Fight versus COVID-19/Coronavirus As a leading supplier to the medical industry, Smalley provides products and engineering expertise to support our customers worldwide, including the needs of the essential businesses that we supply. Our manufacturing plant located in Lake Zurich, Illinois remains fully functional and Smalley has taken numerous actions in response to the coronavirus to protect the health and safety of our team... Read More>>
April 2, 2020	Raising the Bar for Customer Experience - Web Store and Live Chat Smalley takes great pride in not only providing the best possible retaining rings and wave springs, but also for its legendary customer support. We’re pleased to announce the launch of two new additions to our Customer Support Program: Smalley Web Store and Live Chat customer support for U.S based visitors. Smalley Web Store You can now order standard wave springs, retaining rings, and... Read More>>
March 23, 2020	How We Package our Wave Springs and Retaining Rings I’ve found the perfect retaining ring or wave spring, but how do I get it here? The logistics of shipping and packaging can be a headache when you’re working with components of all sorts of shapes, sizes and quantities. To help simplify the process we’ve highlighted some of the key ways that Smalley can get you the parts you need quickly and efficiently. Bulk Polybag This is the most common... Read More>>
March 9, 2020	Smalley’s Finishes for Retaining Rings and Wave Springs Whether you need added corrosion resistance or simply want to change the appearance of your part, Smalley has a wide range of finishing processes to ensure that your retaining rings and springs perform the way it needs to in your application. Below is a list of some of the more common choices Smalley has available. Oil Dip is a standard finish for all of Smalley’s products produced in carbon... Read More>>