ROTOR CLIP: THE GREEN RING

Simple concept. Using a retaining ring to fasten your assembly instead of a traditional fastener not only REDUCES YOUR COSTS, but also SAVES THE ENVIRONMENT.
Fewer parts, less material mean cost savings for you and less waste for the planet.

Consider the following:

Machined Shoulder

Machining this shoulder and screw threads onto a ½ inch cold-rolled steel shaft to accept a washer and nut retainer generated 0.021lbs. of waste (left).
Machining two grooves to accept SH-50 (1/2 inch) retaining rings produced just 0.003lbs. of waste and used correspondingly less cutting fluid (right).


Cover plate and screws



Threads were machined into this housing to accept a cover plate and six bolts needed to retain the bearing (left). The machining as well as the bolts and plate were replaced by a single groove and one Rotor Clip internal retaining ring (right).

Cotter pin and washer



You could hold the shaft to the brace by drilling a hole through it, installing a washer and fastening the system with a cotter pin.
Or, you could simply machine a groove onto the shaft and install a retaining ring (example on right). It creates a “shoulder” that retains the component or assembly.


Set Screw Collars



Shaft collars are used to position and retain parts on a shaft. However, they are bulky and expensive; the set screw can also dig into the shaft when tightened causing damage.
These collars can be replaced by machining a groove and using a retaining ring.

Beveled Vs. Shims



By using one of Rotor Clip Co., Inc.’s VHO retaining rings, the engineers have erased the need for a bulky cover bolted to the main body of this E steering assembly.  This allows the steering mechanism to be cut to almost the exact shape needed.  Wasted space is wasted money, and those are two things noticeably absent from this design.

Also, the beveled ring takes up end play and eliminates the need for shims.


Lock Nut vs. Retaining Ring



Rotary unions perform the critical sealing function between fixed plumbing and machinery that is constantly rotating. Integral to this function is the inner cartridge, containing the seal and bearing, which must be periodically replaced. A threaded lock nut previously held the assembly in place. Removal required a special wrench.

The customer replaced the threads with a simple machined groove. A Rotor Clip internal retaining ring replaced the lock nut. With this improved design, a much less expensive fastener replaced a costly, machined part. It also saved time in assembly for the manufacturer and eliminated environmentally damaging waste from the machining process.