Author Archives: Caleb Components

Our range of Circlips!

Caleb Components offers a wide range of different types of Circlips.

We offer standard DIN 471 External Circlips and DIN 472 Internal Circlips in both Carbon and Stainless Steel.
We also offer imperial Circlips (N1400/N1300) range in Carbon Steel.

Also part of our range is DIN 1460 External Heavy Duty Circlips again available in Carbon and Stainless Steel.

In both imperial and metric, we can also offer Inverted Lug Circlips (M1408/M1308/N1408/N1308) range. Inverted lug circlips work as a normal type circlip, however the lugs are inverted so for the external type for example, with the lugs facing inwards, offers a smooth uninterrupted flow around the outside of the circlip.

We also offer D2100 External increased abutment circlips. These are a useful for maintaining good contact with chamfered or radiused components.

M1800 & N1800 Crescent Rings are also something we offer here at Caleb Components. They offer a shallow but uniform shoulder on a relatively small shaft diameter.

Another product in our Circlip range is M1440 & N1440 Grip Rings. With a large section height they help to result in a high gripping pressure.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any enquiries on our circlip range.

Disc Spring selection!

Caleb Components offers a range of different type of disc spring washers.

The first range we supply is DIN 2093 Disc Spring Washers. These are a powerful conical washer used in minimal space with high force.
Standard material we offer is Carbon Steel with Phosphate and Oil finish.
Please check out our online store www.springfasteners.co.uk to see if we have a size to suit you.

Another range of Disc Spring we offer is our Ball Bearing Preload Disc Springs. Advantages of these include reducing number of components and simplifies fittings, take up manufacturing tolerances and quiets bearings.
These are offered in Carbon Spring Steel with Phosphate and Oil finish.

As well as the above range of Disc Springs, we can also offer DIN 6796 Heavy Duty Disc Spring Washers. Their ideal use is for bolted sections where they are put under the nut and/or bolt head to help prevent loosening.
Why not check out our range on our online shop to see if we have heavy duty disc spring to suit you. If not, please don’t hesitate to contact us with any enquires you may have. Again, also offered in Carbon Spring Steel with Phosphate and Oil finish.

We also offer, here at Caleb Components, both light duty and medium duty Serrated Safety Washers.
Using the same concept of the Disc Spring, the Serrated Safety Washer has the special feature of radial serrations on both surfaces. When tightened to near capacity these serrations bite into the mating surfaces, thus preventing the loosening of the screw due to vibration and other similar circumstances. Serrated Safety Washers offer a reduction in the outside dia thus corresponding with most screw head sizes, particularly hexagonal socket type screws.

We look forward to hearing from you with any enquires you may have.

Our Pins!

Looking for the right type of pin for your application can sometimes prove difficult. At Caleb Components, we offer a large variety of different pin types.

Starting with Solid Dowel Pins which are hardened and ground and offer a precise fit into a well machined hole. Being hardened, these offer a good durable, long lasting fit and has the added strength of say that of a Spring tension pin.

The Spring Tension Pin however, offers a greater variety of flexibility as these pins are hollow and are manufactured from a hardened spring steel which close down when inserted into a standard drill hole. The uses of these pins can be varied to include such uses as a hinge pin or used a fixing pin.

Another popular type sold by us is the DIN 94 Split Cotter Pin and the use of this part is different to the two mentioned above. Split pins are used as a secure fixing device as it is generally located through a hole midway through a shaft and therefore stops the pin from falling out of its location. These are easily secured in place by bending both legs in opposite directions. Removal can be a little more difficult as legs cannot always be bent back into position and often pins might have to be cut in order to be removed.

Not quite as popular as the Split Cotter Pins, the Retaining Pins offer a simple removable device, as they are simply pushed through a hole in a shaft and the other leg will fit over the shaft to hold in place. These parts are Zinc Plated to offer general corrosion resistance and due to their flexibility can be used on numerous occasions.

SHATTERED DISC SPRING!

I remember an incident many years ago, when working at a different fastener company a business who purchased from us several hundreds of pounds worth of Disc Springs. Within a week, we received a phone call from a very distraught customer who told us in no uncertain terms that the Disc Springs we supplied were shattering into hundred of small fragments.

Questioning the customer further, we discovered that they took it upon themselves to get the parts plated. Unfortunately what they didn’t realise was that you cannot simply electroplate this type of product. Even with hydrogen de-embrittlement, small fractures can occur within the Disc Spring. As soon as pressure is applied to the Discs, stress occurs and at this point the Disc is prone to fracturing.

Standard Disc Springs are phosphated and oiled as a finish, which is fine for normal indoor shelf life in dry non-humid conditions. However, where better corrosive resistance is required parts should be plated using non electro type methods such as mechanical zinc plate or delta tone for example.

We would be happy to discuss with you any plating / special material requirements you need according to your application.

Imperial Circlips

Imperial Circlips can be difficult to obtain, especially in small bag quantities.

Caleb Components offers imperial Circlips in Carbon Spring Steel (some sizes available in Stainless) up to 3″ for both External and Internal. 

We are aware that certain components still prefer to use imperial measurements and therefore we feel it only right to offer our customers imperial sizes to fulfill needs where possible.

Circlips offer a reasonably priced securing device that can simply be removed with the appropriate Circlip pliers and then re-used time and time again.

Caleb Components would welcome any enquiries that you may have. Parts can be ordered quickly and simply by going to our shop link at the top of this page.

 

Cheap Cotters that are cost effective!

The humble Split Cotter Pin may not look much like a fastener, but in reality, this cost effective mild steel pin is basically a disposable part.

Once inserted through the hole (usually through a shaft) the mild steel legs can easily be bent or knocked into shape. As one leg is longer than the other, location on to the leg is relatively easy to bend back on itself, thus securing the device in the hole and will prevent any parts sliding off the shaft.

The majority of our stock at Caleb Components Ltd, has a Bright Zinc Plate finish as standard which will help prevent early rusting.

Our sizes range from 1.6mm diameter (1/16″) to 13mm (1/2″). Lengths for larger sizes up to 180mm.

As well as being available in Mild steel we can also offer many parts in Stainless steel.

We would be pleased to see any enquiries, and will do our utmost to provide your needs.

We’ve grown our Spring Tension Pin collection!

Here at Caleb Components, we have now increased our Spring Tension Pin range.

We now offer Heavy Duty Spring Tension Pins to ISO 8752 (DIN 1481) Standard in both Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel. We also offer Light Weight Spring Tension Pins to ISO 13337 (DIN 7346) Standard also in Carbon Steel.

Larger sizes of Spring Tension Pins are available currently up to 50mm diameter and possibly beyond. Available in 4-6 weeks for non-stock items.

Although our current range for non-preferred sizes may be limited, we are always happy to offer a quotation for any requirements you may have. For example we can offer some pins with 7mm, 9mm and 13mm diameters.

As well as the more common materials as mentioned above, we can offer where necessary, parts in a higher grade stainless such as 316 (A4) Grade. This material for example, offers excellent corrosive resistant qualities and proves very useful in a marine environment. Some sizes may be available from stock.

Stock sizes available to order directly from springfasteners.co.uk or please send enquiries to us at sales@calebcomponents.com.

We look forward to receiving any enquiries you may have.

Disc Springs – small Discs that can pack a punch!

Disc Spring Washers; even the smallest sizes can pack a punch when it comes to load rating. Even sizes that start from 8mm outside diameter can offer up to nearly 450 newtons of force to flat. Despite relatively small sizes, they can offer huge forces compared to that of say normal Compression Springs.

Disc springs can be uses on a single basis or can be stacked in parallel (stacked the same way) will double the force of a single disc. To vary the arrangement further Disc Springs can also be stacked in series. For example, 10 single discs in series (back to back) would keep the force of a single disc but lengthen the deflection by 10 times.

Stack configuration is almost innumerable as such a wide variety of force and deflections can be made available by using any of the large size range available from Caleb Components. Again, unlike compression springs, which are of a fixed length, Disc Springs can be altered quickly and simply by adding or removing Discs from the stack.

As well as the standard DIN 2093 range, again Caleb Components can offer Ball Bearing Pre- Load, Serrated, and Heavy Duty Belleville Washers to DIN 6796.

Our company can offer full technical support and help and aid engineers to design the ideal stack for your components.

Shim Washers vs Flat Washers

At Caleb Components, we try to offer the full range of Shim Washers to DIN 988 and Flat Washers to DIN 125 A. The latter part being Bright Zinc Plated as standard.

Both parts have their advantages over the other.

Shim Washers are a precision made washer from high grade carbon steel and have specific tolerances on inside and outside diameters as well as thickness. Their main purpose is to make up gap space when and where required, hence we offer thicknesses ranging from just 0.1mm upwards. Using a variety of thicknesses, the gap can then be made up in an accurate way.

Flat Washers to DIN 125 on the other hand, are more of a basic or even crude form of washer. The purpose of these is generally to place them between a bolt head or under a nut to protect the surface that is being tightened against.

If you require any further information on these items, or many of the other products that we stock, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Circlips… the forgotten fastener

Circlips the forgotten fastener.

When people ask me, “What do I do for a living?” I generally tell them that I sell fasteners. For them to better understand my answer I tell them to think of nuts, bolts and washers. Yes, these are all types of fasteners. However I do not really deal with these type of fasteners.

So before that glazed expression comes over their face, I hit them with what I do sell, which is Circlips, Spring Tension Pins and Disc Springs and other spring type metal parts.

Admittedly not many people have heard of Circlips, hence the title of this article. So I’m writing this article to give the humble Circlip a little higher profile.

So what is a Circlip?

Well a Circlip is a semi-flexible ring that either offers a tight fit on a groove on a shaft or in the case of Internal Circlips, in a groove around the inner bore of a tubular component.

They are generally manufactured from a carbon spring steel but can be manufactured in a wide range of materials including stainless steel, beryllium copper etc.

Depending upon whether the circlip is Internal type or External type they are generally opened up (External) or closed up (Internal) by the use of Circlip pliers, then located on or in the groove of the component and then released and the pliers extracted.

The springiness of the circlip then holds it in place within or on the groove.

The beauty of this product is the variety of use.

You see these things everywhere, including cars, photocopiers, aircraft, exercise equipment, machines, locking mechanisms, power tools, to name but a few.

What makes these Circlips great is there reliability, once there in or on their groove they will just sit there without any problems for a long time. Also given the fact that they offer a respectively high shear force they can take quite a pounding before being unseated from their groove.

If a threaded item should shear or you strip a thread on a component you could have serious and costly consequences. However if a Circlip should ping off simply apply another in their place. If extra force is required then we offer a DIN 1460 range being extra thick and thus being extra strong within the component.

At Caleb Components we offer from stock circlips that fit shafts and bores ranging from a tiny 3mm up to 300mm and also many Imperial sizes in carbon steel and also stock many sizes in stainless steel.

As we also stock many variations of the Circlip, such as E-Clips, Crescent Rings, Snap Rings, and Wire Rings.

So if you are looking for that Circlip or Disc Spring or Spring Tension Pin we are sure that we can find the part you are looking for.