Smalley Blog

July 29, 2019	Ask the Expert - Wave Spring Compression and Deflection 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 the performance characteristics of wave springs. For 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... Read More>>
July 18, 2019	Ask the Expert - Wave Spring Cycle Life and Material 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 on the cycle life of wave springs and the materials of wave springs. Can you provide cycle life data for your springs? Yes, we can estimate the theoretical cycle life of our springs using a series of special equations. Note that... Read More>>
March 7, 2019	Application Spotlight: Self-Locking Rings in Automotive Applications Smalley offers an array of standard retaining rings for different applications. Selecting the appropriate ring requires an understanding of the application requirements, which includes thrust load, groove dimensions, and many others. If your application rotates at high speeds, the rotational capacity of the retaining ring will be important to consider. With the technological advances of electric... Read More>>
January 22, 2019	Smalley's On-Time Delivery Smalley strives to provide you with the best customer service possible. This is why we strive to be the best in the industry when it comes to getting your order delivered as quickly as possible, whether your order is large or small. At our headquarters in Lake Zurich, IL, we stock thousands of standard retaining rings and wave springs that can be shipped same day for next day delivery. If you... Read More>>
January 9, 2019	Application Spotlight: Nested Spirawave Wave Springs Smalley’s new Nested Spirawave® Wave Springs can be used in applications across many different industries. They are used to replace a stack of single-turn wave springs or when a single-turn spring cannot produce the forces necessary within an application. Below are just a few examples of how nested springs can be used. Bearing Preload Nested Spirawave springs produce two to three times more... Read More>>
December 18, 2018	Introducing Smalley’s Newest Standard Wave Spring Series: Nested Spirawave® Springs! Smalley is proud to announce the first standard line of nested wave springs on the market. Though we have offered Nested Spirawave springs as a custom for 30 years, they will now be available from stock in carbon and 17-7 PH stainless steel from .500 to 4" or 16 to 100 mm. What Are the Benefits of Nested Spirawave Wave Springs? Two to three times the force Nested wave spring forces increase... Read More>>
November 27, 2018	Ask the Expert - Wave Spring Compression and Load Welcome back to Ask the Expert! This time Smalley's Expert Engineers answer questions about wave spring functionality. When a wave spring is compressed, does its diameter increase? What happens to the spring load at work height if the outside diameter is confined? The diameter of a wave spring grows as it is compressed. This is also referred to as diameter expansion, and all Crest-to-Crest®,... Read More>>
November 6, 2018	DIN Interchange DIN standards are documents that specify requirements for products and outline required characteristics which were developed by the DIN Consumer Committee, which resides in Germany. The DIN Consumer Council establishes standard protections internationally for many different products to ensure safety, environmental soundness, and legal certainty. Smalley has compiled an interchange list for its... Read More>>
October 26, 2018	Color Variations in Metals Smalley retaining rings and wave springs can be manufactured in many different types of alloys. Each of these materials has specific properties which make them appropriate for use. Common alloys used include: Carbon steel Stainless Steel (302, 316, 17-7) A-286 Inconel (X-750, 718, 625, etc.) Elgiloy® MP35N® Beryllium Copper Operating environment must be considered when choosing materials;... Read More>>
October 8, 2018	Application Spotlight: Wave Springs for Bearing Preload What is bearing preload? When assembling individual bearing components, the outer race, inner race, balls, and retainer all work together so that there is a controlled amount of internal clearance between the rings and balls. This radial play is necessary for proper operation, however, in most applications, it is also necessary to help reduce or eliminate the internal clearance to maintain... Read More>>