Smalley Blog

March 1, 2022	How and Why You Should Use a Wave Spring for Bearing Preload Preloading a Bearing: What is Preloading, How to Preload, Why Should You Preload a Bearing? What do we mean when we say “preload”? A bearing is designed to move freely and has multiple moving parts that work together as one unit. Tolerance stack up from both manufacturing and assembly can quickly cause issues. This is where preloading a bearing comes in. Preloading a bearing involves... Read More>>
February 15, 2022	New Tapered Section Retaining Ring (Circlip) Series Released New Tapered Section Retaining Ring (Circlip) Series Released Lake Zurich, IL, February 15, 2022 – When you are in need of a quick and economical heavy-duty ring, Smalley's newest standard series of Tapered Section Retaining Rings (Circlips) is here to secure your assembly! With over 100 years of manufacturing excellence, Smalley is the Engineer's Choice® for supplying or designing the right... Read More>>
February 3, 2022	Invention, History, and Timeline of the Wave Spring Invention, History, and Timeline of the Wave Spring Brief History of Springs Springs have been helping the world go around for thousands of years. In fact, spring technology goes back to the “bow and arrow” ages. A non-coiled spring was used in a bow and arrow dating back 64,000 thousand years ago. The first coiled spring was invented in 1763 by R. Tradewell, but the first steel coil spring wasn... Read More>>
January 26, 2022	Wave Spring vs. Coil Spring What's the difference between a wave spring and a coil spring? Custom or standard, Smalley takes great pride in its unparalleled dedication to delivering quality wave spring solutions for a variety of industries. Both wave springs and traditional coil springs fall under the category of compression springs. While the primary function of a compression spring is to provide axial load, wave springs... Read More>>
January 10, 2022	Wave Spring Work Height and Compression What happens if I compress my wave spring below work height? Understanding how and when a wave spring can fail is important for achieving optimal performance in your application. One common reason a wave spring could fail is because of overstressing, otherwise known as over-compression of the spring. How do you overstress a wave spring? Compressing a wave spring below the design work height may... Read More>>
December 17, 2021	Ring in the Holidays with Smalley During this holiday season, we want to share our genuine appreciation for our customers. Smalley wouldn’t be where we are today without you! Thank you for choosing Smalley to be a part of your manufacturing journey through 2021. We wish you a joyful holiday season and a happy New Year. Before we say goodbye to 2021, let's take a look at our year in review! Smalley's 2021 Year in Review... Read More>>
December 14, 2021	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>>
November 15, 2021	Stop Over-Designing: How to Save Time and Money with a Light-Duty Ring Stop Over-Designing and Over-Paying: How to Save Time and Money With a Light-Duty Ring Light-Duty Retaining Rings for light loads may be a cost-efficient solution in comparison to snap rings. If you've ever had to hold mating components of assemblies in place, you've probably used a retaining ring. Retaining rings are a popular fastening choice, as they are compact and eliminate complex... Read More>>
October 7, 2021	Smalley Releases the Revolutionary Revolox® Self-Locking Retaining Ring. Safely and Easily Secure Your High-Speed Rotational Needs! Smalley Releases the Revolutionary Revolox® Self-Locking Retaining Ring. Safely and Easily Secure Your High-Speed Rotational Needs! Rotational capacity requirements for modern applications are higher than ever, especially in electric motors, gearboxes, and automotive transmissions. As the market leader for innovative retaining ring solutions, Smalley has been continually investing in ongoing... Read More>>
September 10, 2021	Smalley Wins GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award for 9th Consecutive Year Lake Zurich, IL, September 10, 2021 - Smalley received the 2020 General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award for the 9th consecutive year. Out of the thousands of GM suppliers, only a small percentage receive this prestigious honor. The Supplier Quality Excellence Award is presented to suppliers who have met or exceeded a stringent set of criteria ranging from production to delivery. “... Read More>>