Circlips

APPLICATIONS

  • Gearing / Transmission • Electric Motors • Pistons • Turbines • Brake adjustment • Sprocket chains • Electronics

  • Roller / Wheel Bearings • Clutches • Vehicle construction • Optical devices

What is a Circlip?

Circlips, are a form of fastener that fit in radial grooves on shafts or in the bore of a cylinder. Also known as retaining rings, snap rings or C-Clips, these are close to C-shaped, allowing them to expand around a shaft or compress into a bore.

How do Circlips work?

Once it is fitted to a shaft or into a bore the exposed part functions as a shoulder, preventing axial movement of the parts. It prohibits lateral motion between the different parts of a machine.

Common standards of Circlip?

DIN 471 and DIN 472 are your most common types of Circlip and are found in a wide array of application

Internal Circlips (DIN472) - An Internal Circlip is designed and made to be fitted on the inside of a bore or housing. They are highly durable meaning that they will have a longer lifespan than other circlip styles. Internal Circlips are available in both metric and imperial sizes.

External Circlips (DIN471) - An External Circlip is designed and made to be fitted tightly around the outside of a shaft. A big draw for external circlips is that they can used in place of threaded sleeves, rivets, cotter pins, set collars, nuts, machined shoulders and other big fastening devices. External Circlips are available in both metric and imperial sizes.

E-Type Circlips (DIN6799) - Similarly to an External Circlip, the E-Type Circlip is made to go around the outside of shaft or rod to keep it in place, or retain it, in the desired location.

The most common material used to make circlips is Carbon Spring Steel (CS). However, they can be made with different materials depending on the environment they will be in or, the application they will be used for.

They can be made from:

  • Carbon Spring Steel

  • Stainless Steel

  • Phosphated spring Steel

They can come in various finishes, as standard Circlips are supplied with a phosphate and oil coating, giving sufficient corrosion resistance.

They can also be mechanically plated either Zinc or Zinc and Yellow Passivate

Internal Circlips (DIN 472)

Internal Circlips (DIN 472)

Metric

Internal Circlips

Imperial

Internal Circlips

External Circlips (DIN 471)

External Circlips (DIN 471)

Imperial

External Circlips

Metric

External Circlips