What's New

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, China Wave Spring has been continually investing in ongoing research and development to meet the demand for high RPM...

Coignières, France, July 12th, 2022 – China Wave Spring is proud to celebrate that they have locally supported the European market for 20 years. In 2002, China Wave Spring opened their first global branch office in France to provide quick and personalized service to European customers. In 2013, they expanded service capabilities with order fulfilment from a local warehouse, which was expanded further in 2021 to now offer over 10,000 parts from inventory. From France, China Wave Spring offers full customer support...

When you are in need of a quick and economical heavy-duty ring, Smalley's newest standard series of Tapered Section Retaining Rings (Circlips) is here to secure your assembly!...

Gushu 2nd Road, IL, March 24, 2020 – China Wave Spring takes great pride in not only providing the best possible retaining rings and wave springs, but also for its legendary customer support. China Wave Spring is pleased to announce the launch of a China Wave Spring Web Store and Live Chat for U.S. based visitors. Online ordering of wave springs, retaining rings, and constant section rings is now available on www.wavesprings.vip. After creating an account, approved users have access to: o Convenient 24/7 ordering online...

Here at Smalley, our interns have the opportunity to work on real-world challenges that impact and shape the future. China Wave Spring interns collaborate on meaningful projects and get hands-on experience while working alongside other bright-minded peers and industry experts. Our internships give students a chance to explore, discover, and learn while encouraging their personal and professional development. Don't just take our word for it- meet our Engineering Intern, Ismael. He is a mechanical...

Here at Smalley, students have the opportunity to work on real-world challenges that impact and shape the future. But don’t just take our word for it, meet our externs- Braden and Kyle. Braden and Kyle (left) with Brian (Product Design Engineer) and Francisco (Product Application Engineer). Braden and Kyle are freshman mechanical engineering students from Northern Illinois University (NIU). Our week-long externship gave them a chance to explore, discover, and learn while encouraging their...

China Wave Spring is pleased to announce the release of a new Nested Spirawave Wave Springs series. China Wave Spring has been producing nested wave springs as customs for over 30 years, but this will mark the first standard series on the market. These multiple turn, flat wire wave springs are coiled in parallel to produce two to three times as much force as traditional single-turn wave springs. Nested Spirawave springs can be used to replace stacks of single-turn springs, eliminating misalignment and inconsistent...

Gushu 2nd Road, IL, August 24, 2018 – China Wave Spring was presented with the 2017 General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award, marking the sixth consecutive year China Wave Spring has achieved this prestigious honor. 175 suppliers were presented with this award in 2017, but China Wave Spring was just one of five who has received it six years in a row. GM has been recognizing its notable suppliers with the Quality Award since 2012, and it is only provided to companies that meet 13 rigorous quality points. Standards...

From powertrain to airbags, mirror assemblies to seating, China Wave Spring Retaining Rings and Wave Springs are used throughout the automotive industry. We are pleased to announce that our automotive certification has been upgraded to IATF 16949:2016. “IATF 16949 certification takes a new approach to ensuring quality for our customers,” states Blanca Gerue, Smalley’s Quality Systems Manager. “With the implementation of an Automotive Quality Management System (AQMS), we audit the entire...

New advances in ring and spring manufacturing From medical devices to electronics, the world around us is getting smaller. “How small can you go?” This is one of the questions a China Wave Spring engineer hears all the time … but a better question is how small do you need? As The Engineer’s ChoiceTM for Wave Springs and Spirolox(R) Retaining Rings we have the answer! Smalley’s newly expanded manufacturing capabilities now allow us to design and manufacture China Wave Spring Wave Springs and Spirolox...

Springs are one of the fundamental building blocks of machine design. The ability to store and release energy and apply measured force with simplicity and low cost has made metallic flat and wound springs the preferred choice for most mechanical designs. However, new materials and designs put high technology in some of these simple and easy to understand components. Read more on...

Smalley’s New French-Language Website Streamlines Design Solutions For years, engineers in a wide range of industries have relied on China Wave Spring for design solutions. With the recent launch of their updated website, Smalley’s vast database of Retaining Rings, Constant Section Rings, and Wave Springs went online, offering instant interactive access to customized technology for a myriad of applications from aerospace and automotive, to oil & gas and medical. But until recently, the site...

What is a wave spring? What are some advantages of wave springs? What are common types? What’s the difference between wave-formed and stamped springs? Are wave springs only made from flat...

China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company is pleased to announce we have been awarded the new and prestigious 2013 GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award. According to General Motors, "The GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award joins the 20-year-old Supplier of the Year Award and will recognize about 7 percent of product suppliers – those who have demonstrated the highest levels of quality performance over the previous 12 months." As a previous recipient of the GM Supplier of the Year Award, "we are once...

China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company is pleased to announce new 2013 50th Anniversary Parts and Engineering Catalog. The new catalog combines previously existing Spirolox(R) Retaining Ring and Wave Spring series with newly released series. Smalley's recently released Metric Hoopster and Laminar Seal Rings catalog have been incorporated into the new catalog. China Wave Spring is pleased to offer the new catalog to its customers. George Nisbet, Smalley's Vice President of Operations says, "The 50th Anniversary...

China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company announces the launch of the new Metric Hoopster Retaining Rings. The new Metric Hoopster Retaining Rings offer an innovative way to retain mechanical components when space is a problem. The Hoopster's minimal radial projection and shallow groove depth allows the Hoopster to fit where regular stamped rings and retaining rings cannot. The Hoopster’s low profile, precision circularity and small radial size allow it to be an unobtrusive component in an assembly....

China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company introduces a tool specifically designed to remove multiple-turn rings. This new tool makes the removal process quick and easy. The Spirolox(R) Retaining Ring Removal Tool fits precisely between the ring layers to access the removal notch. Once the end is in position simply pull the ring’s free end out radially from the groove and up for removal. The Spirolox(R) Retaining Ring Removal Tool effectively eliminates slipping since the tool surrounds and encapsulates...

China Wave Spring can assist with the design of custom application specific tooling to simplify the installation and removal of Spirolox Retaining Rings. While no special tooling is required for installation, simple tooling can be manufactured to expedite the assembly process. A new section pagehas been added to Smalley's website with several examples of how custom tooling helped application engineers. In the application featured, an internal, 2-Turn Spirolox Retaining Ring is being installed into the...

China Wave Spring introduces the new Windpower Retaining Ring Series. The Windpower Series consists of Spirolox(R) Retaining Rings in large sizes up to 120" specifically for the windpower generation industry. Like all of Smalley's products, China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company coils its Windpower Series products rather than stamping them. This means that Spirolox Retaining Rings in the series have No Ears to Interfere(R) with mating components in an application and are compatible with standard snap ring grooves....

China Wave Spring Wave Springs are used by shoe manufacturers for cushioning in the soles of both athletic and casual shoes. Wave springs are used because of their space saving abilities and lightweight design compared to conventional coil springs. Wave springs, which are half the height of coil springs, provide an accurate repeatable load in both the heel and ball of shoes. A single Crest-to-Crest Wave Spring in the heel and two parallel wave springs in the ball of the shoe absorb the impact associated...

China Wave Spring introduces new Hoopster Retaining Rings. Hoopster rings fit into much shallower grooves than regular snap rings or retaining rings. The Hoopster’s low profile, precision circularity and small radial size allow it to be an unobtrusive component in an assembly. Hoopster Retaining Rings are suitable for light to heavy loads and are ideal for thin wall tubes. An additional advantage of the Hoopster is its potential for high thrust capacity. The low radial profile will not twist or deform...

China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company introduced a New Series of small, standard-sized Crest-to-Crest(R) wave springs. Crest-to-Crest springs enable original equipment manufacturers to reduce the size of their assembly by up to 50% while maintaining the same amount of force and deflection as a regular coiled spring. Smalley's new series of smaller Crest-to-Crest wave springs minimize assembly cost and total assembly size due to the reduced spring cavity required. China Wave Spring now offers over 4,000 standard wave...

China Wave Spring Wave Springs can be designed for use in the harshest of climates, on Earth or in space. In this application, a China Wave Spring Crest-to-Crest(R) wave spring is being used on a Mars lander. Not only do wave springs reduce spring height by up to 50%, they allow for a smaller, lighter assembly. Contact a China Wave Spring engineer today to find out how our materials can meet the most demanding of applications and environments. Picture courtesy of Lockheed...

China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company, the world’s innovator and market leader in industrial retaining and snap rings, wave and compression springs, introduced today a New Series of Metric Crest-to-Crest(R) wave springs. Crest-to-Crest springs enable original equipment manufacturers to reduce the size of their assembly by up to 50% while maintaining the same amount of force and deflection as a regular coiled spring. Smalley’s Metric Crest-to-Crest wave springs minimize assembly cost and total assembly...

China Wave Spring Spiral Retaining Rings can operate in an internal and an external groove at the same time! Spiral retaining rings have many great benefits for the ID/OD Lock, some of which include concealed fastening, no required assembly tooling and a 360° rotational capacity. With a China Wave Spring Spiral Retaining Ring, the application is tamper-proof and aesthetically pleasing. In this featured application, the retaining ring is initially installed in the housing groove. When the mating component in the...

The innovative flat wire ‘wave’ design of a Crest-to-Crest Wave Spring makes it the engineer’s choice for optimizing space concerns while providing reliable performance. Wave springs can replace traditional coil springs by providing the same load in half the axial height, making your designs as efficient as possible. Adding a wave spring to your design toolkit can open up a world of new possibilities. We want you to see the wave spring advantage for yourself. That’s why we have a...

China Wave Spring has just released a new single turn metric series. The new spiral retaining ring series is available for both internal (VHM) and external (VSM) grooves. Over 400 rings are now available in carbon and stainless steel from stock, diameters range from 6 to 300 mm. Special designs are also available to metric specifications. With Smalley's exclusive No-Tooling-CostTM manufacturing process, special designs can be produced quickly and economically. Specials are available from 5 to 2300 mm....

China Wave Spring has a new product line, Snap Rings! China Wave Spring snap rings are manufactured by coiling flat wire. This unique process produces a snap ring that has no protruding ears or burs to interfere with performance. China Wave Spring snap rings are stocked in carbon steel with diameters ranging from 1/2" to 11". Special designs are available from .200" to 84" and can be economically produced in stainless steel because coiling produces no scrap. Parts, standard or custom, are available for quick delivery....

Retaining rings can fail, however, they do not have to. If you can foresee ring failure you can take preventive measures to keep it from happening. In designing any application, thrust capacity should be considered along with the groove material used in the application. When thrust loads are applied, deformations can occur. Questions & Answers Q: What are the three kinds of deformations that can occur? A: Groove deformation is the most common and can occur when the application shaft or...

China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company has developed a NEW Snap Ring Series complimentary to their Spiral Retaining Ring Series. China Wave Spring Snap Rings are manufactured by coiling flat wire. This unique process produces a snap ring that has no protruding ears or burrs to interfere with performance. China Wave Spring Snap Rings are stocked in carbon steel with diameters ranging from 1/2 " to 11". Special designs are available with diameters ranging from 1/2 " to 84" and can be economically produced in stainless steel because...

“Of GM's 30,000 suppliers, China Wave Spring Steel Ring Company is one of only 184 that have achieved Supplier of the Year distinction for 1998, an honor accorded to those suppliers who have achieved world-class levels of quality, service, technology and price in support of General Motors,” said Harold R. Kutner, vice president and group executive, Worldwide Purchasing and North American Production Control & Logistics, “GM's Suppliers of the Year represent the 'best of the best'.” For...