Smalley Launches Online Store for Wave Springs and Retaining Rings Our customers know that Smalley is committed to delivering the highest-quality retaining rings and wave springs backed by exceptional service. We are eager to announce a new service channel: the launch of our new online store! After much anticipation, customers will now enjoy a seamless and convenient shopping experience where they can purchase from our entire catalog of standard parts. After ..read more

Smalley's fall tradeshow season is just around the corner. This is an excellent opportunity for engineers, product developers, and manufacturers to experience our products firsthand and connect with our engineers. This blog will cover the U.S. tradeshows that Smalley will be exhibiting during the 2024 fall season. What can we offer at our tradeshows? You can have face-to-face conversations with ..read more

Understanding Wave Springs: Key Factors Influencing Compression Force Wave springs are a versatile type of spring with a unique design. They offer a more compact solution than a coil spring for applications requiring some form of loading. In this Ask the Expert blog, we'll delve into the factors influencing the force a wave spring can output. Wave springs are characterized by their wavy design, allowing them to compress and expand within a reduced space. This makes ..read more

GM Awards Smalley for 12th Consecutive Year for High-Quality Retaining Rings and Wave Springs Lake Zurich, IL, June 6, 2024 – Smalley is thrilled to announce it has been awarded General Motors’ 2023 Supplier Quality Excellence Award. This honorable award is granted to GM suppliers who meet or exceed strict quality performance criteria and have given cross-functional support to the entire GM organization throughout the 2023 calendar year. This marks the 12th year in a row that Smalley has ..read more

What is a Retaining Ring? Smalley's Retaining Ring, Snap Ring, and Circlip 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

Would a Standard Wave Spring Made in a Special Material Maintain the Same Spring Rate and Performance? There are many factors to consider when designing a product. Will the product be exposed to high temperatures or high humidity? Perhaps it will frequently come into contact with certain chemicals or harsh environments. Not to mention, how will using a specialty alloy affect the performance of a product? At Smalley, our engineers know the demands called upon by different applications. That is why ..read more

Ask the Expert - Wave Spring Tolerance and Load Over the course of more than 100 years, Smalley has been the industry leader and technological pioneer of retaining rings and constant section rings. And for more than 50 years, Smalley has been revolutionizing the industry with compact wave springs. We got to where we are today without a single salesperson. So how did we do it? With a dedicated team of Sales Engineers. Sales Engineers are ..read more

Smalley Honored with General Motors' 2022 Supplier Quality Excellence Award Lake Zurich, IL, July 17, 2023 – Smalley is proud to announce that it has been awarded the 2022 Supplier Quality Excellence Award (SQEA) by General Motors, making it the 11th consecutive year of receiving this award. This highly regarded recognition is a testament to Smalley's unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional quality and outstanding performance in the automotive industry. The SQEA ..read more

Removing a Tab and Slot Self-Locking Retaining Ring Smalley’s Spirolox® retaining rings can be configured to include different provisions or features to better suit application needs. A popular feature for Spirolox rings is the Tab and Slot lock (Figure 1), which provides a mechanical interference allowing the ring to ‘lock’ in place.   Figure 1. Tab and Slot locking self-locking ring In a Tab and Slot self-locking ring, the tabbed end of the ..read more

Tapered Section Retaining Ring (Circlip): What it is, Advantages, and Installation/Removal What is a Tapered Section Retaining Ring (Circlip)? Tapered Section Retaining Rings, also referred to as circlips, are retaining rings with a tapered radial wall. Tapered Section Retaining Rings can be axially installed into a bore/shaft groove to safely secure assemblies in place. They are designed for high thrust loads and heavy-duty applications. They are called Tapered Section Retaining ..read more