Raymond Snap Ring – RA1274483/001

Seated in a machined groove, this Raymond snap ring forms the shoulder that locks a bearing, gear, or shaft in position and stops it from walking out of its bore or off its shaft under load and vibration. It is a retaining ring, holding an assembly together with spring tension alone rather than threads, which is what lets it be installed and removed with ring pliers.

That spring tension is also why a snap ring is treated as a one-time-use part in practice. Once a ring has been sprung open to remove it, it loses some of the tension that keeps it seated, so it is routinely replaced whenever an assembly is opened rather than reused.

Match the ring to the groove diameter and thickness, and to whether it seats internally in a bore or externally on a shaft, since a retaining ring only holds when it fits its groove exactly. An undersized or wrong-style ring can pop out of its groove under load.