March 2022

March 31, 2022	'Tab and Slot' Self-Locking Ring: What is it, How Does it Work, and When Should You Use One? What is a ‘Tab and Slot’ Self-Locking Ring? Spirolox(R), a division of Smalley, invented the ‘Tab and Slot’ Self-Locking Ring back in 1958. The innovative design has been proven in thousands of high-speed applications. So, what is it? Let’s first define what a self-locking ring is. A self-locking ring is a custom retaining ring feature that increases a ring’s rotational capacity. They are... Read More>>
March 23, 2022	How to Increase Rotational Capacity for a Retaining Ring Importance of Retaining Ring RPM Performance With rotational capacity requirements of modern applications higher than ever, many engineers struggle to find retaining rings that can withstand high speeds. If an engineer settles for alternate solutions to retaining rings, it often results in more assembly time and costs more money, or even worse, fails in the application. What Limits a Retaining... Read More>>
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 providing... Read More>>