Engineers are challenged daily to come up with economical product designs that reduce weight, size, raw materials and labor. This competitive mandate affects every design facet, including the fasteners needed to hold components in place.
One style of non-threaded fastener that has been widely used to accomplish these goals is the retaining ring. A circular fastener, this ring is installed in a groove to hold components on a shaft or inside a bore. It holds gears, cams, and pulleys on shafts, and it keeps bearings, valves, nozzles and locks inside housings. Knowing which retaining ring to use in a given fastening situation can greatly contribute to the overall effectiveness and economy of a design.