Smalley Blog

March 7, 2018	Trade Show Spotlight Curious to know where you can meet our team of expert engineers and see both Spriolox® Retaining Rings and Crest-to-Crest® Wave Springs in person? Smalley’s technical team will be traveling to cities around the world to share with you the latest in ring and spring technology. Make sure to visit us at these events! Can’t make it but want to stay up to date on what’s new? Visit the Smalley Resource... Read More>>
February 20, 2018	Smalley Receives “Stamp of Approval” for Medical Component Manufacturing Quality parts make for an exceptional medical device. For many years, Smalley has been a trusted supplier to the medical industry. Our recent certification to ISO 13485 is another indicator of our dedication to delivering the highest quality retaining rings and wave springs on the market. After a year-long approval process and quality audit with the third-party registrar (DQS), Smalley has been... Read More>>
February 6, 2018	GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award Recipient 5 Years Running Smalley has again been awarded the GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award for the fifth consecutive year. This accolade is awarded only after a supplier passes a rigorous quality audit that covers every aspect of production to delivery. Smalley’s commitment to quality and the automotive industry is evident by our pending upgraded certification to IATF 16949:2016. “What an honor to be recognized... Read More>>
January 8, 2018	FAQ: Rings 1. Do Spirolox rings fit stamped ring groves? Yes, Spirolox rings are designed to fit into groves for stamped or Truarc style snap rings without the downside of protruding “ears”. Smalley has a published interchange listing, or let us know the ring number you are using and we’re happy to help spec the appropriate ring for your application. 2. How do you assemble and remove rings? Spiral wound... Read More>>
December 19, 2017	Why You Should Use a Wave Spring 1. Compared with a helical coil spring with the same deflection, can the load be the same level or higher? Yes, we can increase spring rate with various modifications such as the number of waves, material thickness, and number of turns. Crest-to-Crest springs can function similarly to helical springs in a variety of applications. Smalleys engineers are able to help identify the correct wave... Read More>>
December 12, 2017	Smalley FAQ 1. What industries are your parts used in? Smalley has thousands of customers all over the world. We manufacture parts for a wide variety of environments and applications. While our products are specified in almost every industry, we have expertise in the Aerospace, Automotive, Off-Highway, Oil and Gas, and Medical industries. You can also find Smalley parts in many other general industrial... Read More>>
June 20, 2017	Ask the Expert - How do I Measure the Free Height of a Wave Spring? It’s important to know to how to properly measure a wave spring’s free height in order to verify that you are using the correct part for your application. When done correctly, it can also save valuable inspection time. To Measure the Free Height of a Wave Spring: Ensure the spring is sitting on a flat surface between two parallel plates Lower the top measuring surface until it touches the... Read More>>
March 16, 2017	Did You Know? Smalley’s Online Resources Smalley has become The Engineer’s Choice® in Retaining Rings and Wave springs not just because we were the originators of the technology, but because our engineers work directly with you to ensure we have the right solution for your application. Smalley’s engineers have answered your questions submitted through our Ask the Expert portal for years. We have used these questions to help us build our... Read More>>
January 19, 2017	Ask the Expert - Linear Springs and Laminar Seal Rings Requirements We are back with another Ask the Expert Blog entry. This week, our retaining ring, spring and snap ring experts answer a couple questions about Linear Springs and Laminar Seal Rings. If you have your own question please submit them on our Ask the Expert page! My application requires a linear spring with a high spring rate and won't fatigue over time. Would this need to be a custom Linear Spring... Read More>>
December 20, 2016	Ask the Expert - Snap Ring and Spiral Retaining Ring Installation Welcome back to the Smalley Ask the Expert Blog, where our engineers answer commonly asked retaining ring and wave spring questions. This week, our engineers answer questions about snap ring and spiral retaining ring installation. I'm currently using snap rings in my assembly, and am having over-stretch issues during the installation process. Could your Spirolox® retaining rings be a good... Read More>>