Smalley Blog

December 3, 2015	Download Spirolox Installation and Removal Guide Smalley's Spirolox Retaining Rings serve as a removable shoulder that helps secure components in an assembly while also creating a pleasant aesthetic look. The rings are edgewound to any custom diameter. This provides a huge advantage over die-stamped components and components coiled from rectangular cross-section material for maximum cost efficiency and scrap minimizing. Another great benefit to... Read More>>
November 12, 2015	Download the Retaining Ring Selection Guide Smalley retaining rings are found in millions of products around the globe in dozens of industries from aerospace, medical, automotive, industrial, oil & gas, and many more. These products have one thing in common: one point a procurement specialist knew what they needed, but not necessarily why they needed it. The way that we've been able to provide the ultimate project solutions for so many... Read More>>
October 28, 2015	Form, Fit, and Function: An Overview of Retaining Rings Retaining rings serve an important purpose no matter what type of project they are installed in. These rings are one of the smallest and most inconspicuous components in the assembly, but are crucial to the performance as well, since they help to absorb vibration, split tolerances, or make the assembly as cost-efficient as possible. Retaining rings are used to hold components onto a shaft or into... Read More>>
October 8, 2015	Ask the Expert - Retaining Ring Gaps and Performance in High RPM Applications Welcome back to the Ask the Expert Blog. This week, our experts answer some questions about retaining ring gaps and improving the performance of a retaining ring in a high RPM application. How do Smalley engineers determine the size of retaining ring gaps? What happens if a retaining ring is compressed such that the free ends touch? Retaining ring gaps are calculated and based on the... Read More>>
July 15, 2015	Ask the Expert - Part Number Issues and Spirolox Retaining Ring Reusability Welcome back to the Ask the Expert Blog, where our engineers answer commonly asked ring and spring design questions. This week, our experts field some questions about Spirolox retaining rings, specifically about their reusability, and the usefulness of Smalley Sales Engineers. For more than 100 years, Smalley has been the industry leader and technological pioneer of retaining rings and constant... Read More>>
July 8, 2015	Ask the Expert - Small Wave Springs and Seal Rings Welcome back to the Ask the Expert Blog, where our engineers answer commonly asked ring and spring design questions. This week, our experts field some questions about different uses of Smalley springs and rings. We discusses various applications for our line of retaining rings, how they can be adapted to different uses, and when it might be better to select a different product. The expert also... Read More>>
June 24, 2015	Ask the Expert - Retaining Ring Material and Shear Load Safety Factors Welcome back to the Ask the Expert Blog, where our engineers answer commonly asked ring and spring design questions. This week, our experts field some questions about retaining rings. Specifically, the production materials that are available and the details of shear load safety factors. For more than 100 years, Smalley has been the industry leader and technological pioneer of retaining rings and... Read More>>
June 17, 2015	Ask the Expert - Installing Retaining Rings and Laminar Seal Ring Application Smalley owes our stature as a global leader in wave spring and retaining ring technology to our dedicated staff of Sales Engineers. Unlike salespeople, Sales Engineers are engineers first. Smalley Sales Engineers use their technical expertise to steer you in the direction of the products that will best suit your needs instead of the ones that are simply more expensive. We decided to make that... Read More>>
June 10, 2015	Wave Spring Design Limitations and Diameter Tolerance Welcome back to the Ask the Expert blog, the blog is designed to help educate you on all things rings and wave springs. This week, the expert fields some questions about design specifics of wave springs. What are some overall design limitations on a Crest-to-Crest wave spring? Smalley manufactures springs ranging in diameters from about .118 in. (3 mm), to 9.8 ft. (3 m), or more. Possible design... Read More>>
June 3, 2015	Ask the Expert - Gap Type Performance and Crest-to-Crest Design Specifications Welcome back to the Ask the Expert blog, the blog is designed to help educate you on all things rings and wave springs. This week, the expert fields some questions about the performance of gap type wave springs and another about design specifications of crest to crest wave springs. When compressing a single-turn gap type spring to solid, would there be permanent deformation and loss in spring... Read More>>