Smalley Blog

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>>
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>>
July 14, 2021	How to Control Corrosion: Material Selection for Rings and Springs 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 what corrosion is and why it’s an important factor to consider when choosing the appropriate material for retaining ring and wave spring design. What is Corrosion and Why Does it Matter for my Application? Corrosion is a naturally... Read More>>
June 8, 2021	Top 4 Advantages of Edgewinding over Stamping in Retaining Ring and Wave Spring Manufacturing Edgewinding, also known as the Smalley No-Tooling-Charges™ process, is the only manufacturing solution Smalley engineers trust to deliver precise yet flexible solutions to meet your retaining ring and wave spring needs. What is Edgewinding? Edgewinding has been the standard Smalley manufacturing process for over 50 years. Edgewinding is a precision forming process that involves coiling flat wire... Read More>>
May 11, 2021	Smalley's CAD Library Smalley leads the way in designing and manufacturing retaining rings and wave springs. We know how important it is to visualize your design, so we offer CAD models for our entire product line. All of our standard parts are available for immediate download from our interactive, parametrically drawn CAD library. If you're looking at a custom design, you can always request a custom CAD model when... Read More>>
April 27, 2021	Smalley’s Material 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>>
April 6, 2021	Smalley’s New 2021 Ring and Spring Catalog and Design Guide Goes Digital! Smalley’s New 2021 Ring and Spring Catalog and Design Guide Goes Digital!Print or Interactive Digital Download Available Lake Zurich, IL, April 11, 2021 – Smalley recently launched the 2021 Ring and Spring Catalog and Design Guide, a resource engineers have relied on for decades for retaining ring and compression spring selection. Smalley’s Catalog and Design Guide contains specifications on... Read More>>