The World's Leading Retaining Ring Manufacturer
Automated
Assembly is used in the manufacturing process as a cost reduction tool that additionally
achieves increased production rate and added quality through repeatability.
The same holds true for automated assembly of retaining rings. Parts
can be assembled fast, reducing costs without sacrificing quality. Properly designed
installation equipment shuttles the ring into the groove without disruption and guards
against permanent set (overstretching/over compressing of ring) to ensure a tight fit.
Design Considerations
Feed equipment should be designed to work with rings meeting standard
specifications. Most critical is to design equipment that can accommodate the helix and
pitch limitations for the type of ring you are using. If the equipment is sensitive to any
of these factors, it will require special processing that will add to your costs.
Design guidelines include:
1. Consider use of a tapered mandrel for external retaining rings and a tapered housing for internal retaining rings (see below). It is not recommended to pick up and transfer rings by the lug holes.
2. Feed parts onto the tapered mandrel or into the tapered housing using a “feed finger” mechanism. Make sure the rings are fed in the proper direction and in the proper manner as depicted below to avoid sensitivity to ring pitch.
3. Feed finger thickness should be sized per ring: .80% of the ring minimum thickness. (For example: If ring thickness is .025” +/-.002, feed finger should be .018” thick--.023 x 80%).
4. Limit shuttle distance to a minimum from feed mandrel to installation on assembly.
5. Do not incorporate extension sleeves to tapered mandrel/tapered housing. This may exceed the expansion/compression limits of the ring causing it to fail. (Note: extension sleeves are typically used to guard against scratching/marring the finish of the shaft or housing. If this is a concern, please consult Rotor Clip Technical Sales).
6. Incorporate
complementary chamfers to the assembly and installation mandrels.
More questions? Call Rotor Clip Technical Sales at 1-800-55-ROTOR.
Use tapered mandrel to expand ring and install in groove on shaft. (Note: angle of inclination of taper should be 3-5 degrees).
Use tapered housing to compress ring and install in groove in housing. (Note: angle of inclination of taper should be 3-5 degrees).
This is the preferred way to transfer feed an internal ring into a tapered housing by inserting the mechanism between the lugs (Note: Finger thickness should be 80% of the minimum ring thickness).
This is the preferred way to transfer feed an external ring onto a tapered mandrel by using a slide with a complementary cut out for the lugs. (Note: Finger thickness should be 80% of the minimum ring thickness).