A snap ring and or spring ring are rings manufactured from round or squared spring wire. The rings are formed on spring winding machines and often serve to secure mechanical parts.

A snap ring is often a type of clip manufactured from spring wire, which, due to its design and mechanical features is applied to clamp or secure mechanical parts.

Applications

Applications of spring rings and snap rings are for example circlips for securing bearings on a shaft or in a bearing chamber. There are also well-known split pins which are inserted through a bore in a shaft to first of all prevent the bolt constructions from getting loose. And second of all to prevent that the shaft will release from its holder. Another common application of spring rings / snap rings is to clasp the endings of hoses, for example with flexible ventilation ducts.

Materials

It is, despite the fact that a snap ring is always manufactured from spring steel quality, possible to choose from a very wide range of materials. The most common materials however, remain high carbon spring steel (1.1200) and stainless-steel spring steel (1.4310). Phosphor bronze (2.1020/CuSn6) is however also frequently applied. For other opportunities concerning materials, we refer you to the special page; Material choice.

Characteristics

These spring products are mostly manufactured from round or squared spring wire, there are however also examples in which they are cut out of sheets, such as the circlips. Due to the design and resilient features of the starting material, it is used as a securing means of several assemblies in, inter alia, mechanical engineering. Often a relatively simple way to secure or clasp mechanical parts. The features of the snap ring are particularly the low cost price, the small overall dimensions, the comprehensive application field, wide range of material choices, etc.