Single-Turn Spiral Retaining Rings
Single-turn spiral rings make one complete turn around the groove and are well suited for applications with moderate thrust loads where a compact, economical retaining solution is required.
Spiral Retaining Rings
Spiral retaining rings provide a reliable artificial shoulder by securely seating into a groove on a shaft or inside a housing. Unlike traditional stamped retaining rings, including circlips (tapered section rings) and snap rings (constant section snap rings), spiral retaining rings are coiled from flat wire into single or multi-turn configurations that provide continuous contact within the groove. This design distributes loads more evenly, eliminates the need for assembly lugs, reduces radial space requirements, and provides reliable retention in demanding applications.
Rotor Clip manufactures spiral retaining rings in a wide range of standard sizes, materials, and finishes, with virtually unlimited customization options available to meet specific application requirements. Rotor Clip retaining rings are manufactured in-house, from raw material processing through finished production, ensuring complete control over quality, lead times, and product performance. Whether you need a standard part or a custom spiral ring, our engineers work with you to develop the right retaining ring for your application.
Features & Benefits
- 360° Retaining Surface: Multi-turn spiral rings provide continuous 360° contact within the groove for even load distribution and enhanced performance.
- Lug-Free Design: Eliminates interference with mating components in applications with tight radial clearances or limited installation space.
- Simple Assembly & Removal: Spiral retaining rings are wound into the groove by hand and removed using only a standard screwdriver.
- Reduced Material Waste: The coiling process minimizes scrap compared to stamped retaining rings, reducing material costs for stainless steel and exotic alloys.
- Highly Customizable: Available in a wide range of materials, diameters, wire thicknesses, number of turns, finishes, and custom configurations.
Rotor Clip’s spiral retaining rings are available in diameters from:
Standard: .250″ to 10” (6 mm to 400 mm)
Custom: .157” to upwards of 36” (4 mm to 900 mm+)
Single-Turn vs. Multi-Turn Spiral Ring Designs
Available in both internal and external configurations, Rotor Clip’s spiral retaining rings are offered in single-turn and multi-turn designs to meet a wide range of application and performance requirements.
Multi-Turn Spiral Retaining Rings
Multi-turn spiral rings feature two or more turns that provide 360° continuous contact, increasing contact area and load-carrying capacity as each additional turn shares the applied load.
How Spiral Retaining Rings Compare to Other Retaining Ring Styles
Rotor Clip is the only manufacturer of every style of retaining ring, including spiral retaining rings, tapered section retaining rings (circlips), and constant section retaining rings (snap rings). Because we manufacture every retaining ring family, our engineers can recommend the best solution for your application based on performance, installation, and space requirements—not product limitations.
| Feature | Spiral Retaining Ring | Tapered Section (Circlip) | Constant Section (Snap Ring) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Method | Coiled from flat wire | Stamped | Stamped or coiled from wire depending on style |
| Lug Design | Lug-free | Typically has lugs and lug holes | Lug-free |
| Installation & Removal | No special tools required for manual installation. Wound into the groove by hand and removed with a screwdriver. Simple tooling can automate installation for high-volume assembly. | Retaining ring pliers, applicators, and dispensers. | Easy installation, often no special tools required. |
| Typical Use | Tight radial clearances and even load distribution | Reliable retention and axial load support | Impact loading and robust retention |
Spiral Ring Materials & Finishes
Rotor Clip’s spiral retaining rings are available in a wide range of standard and specialty materials, including stainless steel, carbon steel, Inconel, Elgiloy, beryllium copper, and more. Backed by an extensive raw material inventory, Rotor Clip helps reduce lead times and address material availability challenges. Our engineers apply their metallurgical expertise to recommend the appropriate material and finish for your spiral ring based on your application’s operating environment, performance requirements, and industry specifications.
See below for some of the standard and specialty material and finish options available for spiral retaining rings.
Spiral Retaining Ring Materials
Carbon Spring Steel
Stainless Steel – AISI 302 & 316
Elgiloy
Inconel X-750
Spiral Retaining Ring Finishes
Oil Dip
Cadmium Plating
Zinc Phosphate
Black Oxide
Passivation
Spiral Retaining Ring Installation
Spiral retaining rings are known for their simple installation and removal. No special tools are required for manual installation, as the rings are wound into the groove one turn at a time. For high-speed production, simple tooling can be used to automate assembly. For removal, spiral rings feature a removal notch or scallop, allowing a standard screwdriver to engage the feature and wind the ring out of the groove.
Step 1
Locate the Groove
Step 2
Position the Spiral Ring
Step 3
Begin Winding the Spiral Ring
Step 4
Seat the Final Turn
Step 5
Verify Spiral Ring Installation
Common Spiral Ring Applications
Spiral retaining rings are commonly used in applications requiring secure retention and reduced radial space. Their lug-free design makes spiral rings well suited for applications like rotary unions, butterfly valves, hydraulic fittings, electrical connectors, and consumer electronics. Multi-turn spiral retaining rings also provide 360° continuous groove contact for applications requiring greater contact area and load carrying capacity.
Rotary Union
Quick Connect
Keg
Butterfly Valve
Power Drill Torque
Exhaust Sensor
Need a Custom Spiral Retaining Ring for your Application?
Standard spiral rings are not always the right solution. When an application requires a modified design, Rotor Clip engineers develop custom spiral rings tailored to specific performance and assembly requirements. Design modifications may include dimensions, cross sections, materials, finishes, tolerances, and other application-specific features. From initial design consultation through prototyping, testing, and full production, our engineers work directly with your team to develop a custom spiral retaining ring for your application, backed by Rotor Clip’s quality and manufacturing expertise.
Custom Design Options Include:
- Load and rotational capacity
- Tolerances
- Number of turns
- Coiling direction
- Locking and balance features
- Section / radial wall and thickness
- Materials and finishes
Looking to Cross-Reference an Existing Part?
Many standard industry retaining ring part numbers can be cross-referenced to available Rotor Clip equivalents using our Product Search.
See Spiral Retaining Rings in Action
Our AS9100-certified spiral rings, circlips, and snap rings are engineered for demanding aerospace applications where precision and reliability are critical. See how they are used in aircraft assemblies to deliver dependable retention in challenging operating environments.
Spiral Ring Resources
We’re here to help engineers understand how spiral retaining rings can improve assembly performance and optimize their designs. Explore some of our technical resources below.
Spiral Retaining Ring FAQs
A spiral retaining ring is a retaining ring formed by coiling flat wire into one or more turns. Once installed in a groove, it creates a shoulder that retains components on a shaft or within a housing without the assembly lugs found on traditional stamped retaining rings.
Spiral retaining rings are often preferred when an application requires limited radial space or a lug-free design, with multi-turn spiral retaining rings providing 360° groove contact. Traditional stamped retaining rings, such as tapered section retaining rings (circlips) and constant section retaining rings (snap rings), may be better suited for other loading or assembly requirements. Rotor Clip manufactures every retaining ring style to help engineers select the most appropriate solution.
Single-turn spiral rings make one complete turn around the groove, while multi-turn spiral rings feature two or more turns. Multi-turn designs provide 360° continuous groove contact and greater contact area, allowing them to support higher loads.
Spiral retaining rings can be installed manually by winding them into the groove one turn at a time, without special tooling. For high-volume manufacturing, simple automated tooling can be used to increase assembly speed and consistency.
Spiral retaining rings can be removed by engaging the removal notch or scallop with a standard screwdriver and winding the ring out of the groove. Whether a ring should be reused depends on the ring, application, and its condition after removal and should be evaluated before reuse.
Yes. Rotor Clip engineers develop custom spiral retaining rings with modified dimensions, materials, cross sections, tolerances, and finishes for applications where a standard part does not meet the design requirements.
Yes. Rotor Clip engineers develop custom spiral retaining rings with modified dimensions, materials, cross sections, tolerances, and finishes for applications where a standard part does not meet the design requirements.
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Our passion is creating the best rings, springs, and clamps. Our mission is to make your work a success. We are here for you.
