Posted to News on 21st Nov 2017, 00:00
Interlocking spiral retaining rings
Rotor Clip engineers have showcased their abilities to create custom parts and tools by introducing an interlocking spiral retaining ring. Utilising a standard DCR non-interlocking spiral ring, Rotor Clip was able to engineer a custom tooling process to produce a new DCR-LS interlocking spiral retaining ring.
The main advantages of the DCR-LS over the standard DCR are higher RPM limits, maintenance free applications, and tamper resistance. Applications where an interlocking spiral ring is considered, such as a gearbox, require that the ring stay in the groove at higher RPMs. High RPMs might cause the spiral ring to move out of the groove, causing application failures. The locking mechanism of the spiral ring ensures that the ring stays in the groove with higher RPM limits. The locking mechanism of the spiral ring is also perfect for maintenance-free applications. Further, considering the example of a gearbox, manufacturers want tightly sealed boxes with a very high cleanliness level to prevent any damage due to residual contamination. An interlocking spiral ring used as a locking element can achieve a very low failure rate when operating inside the box. This eliminates the need to open the gearbox and replace the part, which can lead to additional unwanted contamination of the assembly.
Where tamper resistance is important, the interlocking spiral ring is more difficult from an operator to remove from the groove.
