Identification of axle 'clip' thingy

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Moonman

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I require to remove this wheel so will need to remove the black clip holding it in place.



Anyone know what this type of clip is called?

Anyone got advice for how to remove and reattach without it flying to the Moon?
 
It's a plastic "circlip"
Push the side with the notch towards the center spindle; it should pop off.

Part of it is in a groove in the spindle, so it must move sideways and not pull.
 
Thanks for that advice on how to remove.

I'd like to buy a box of these 'plastic circlips', but in looking I can't seem to find a place that sells them.

I'd appreciate a link if someone knows a place that sells them.
 
Thanks for that, But.

At that link; they're selling them individually so would be expensive to buy a box.

Would there be a problem in using a normal stainless steel circlip, that is if I lose the plastic one on removing it from the axel?

I mean, don't they do the same job, steel or plastic?
 
What size (OD, ID, Thickness) would you need? And how many?

One possible downside of switching to metal circlips to retain plastic gears, is the wear factor.
Instead of the nylon. polyoxymethelyne or delrin gears wearing out the PVC or PET circlip, the cheap metal circlip would wear out the expensive plastic gear.

As the gears in the image are straight cut gears -- which produce little or no axial thrust, you might get away with a thinner steel circlip backed by a thin ptfe thrust washer.
 
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If this is so, can you explain why the bearing hole in the gear center doesn't also wear out? There are many many, many things that use a plastic gear, wheel or other rotating or even sliding motion on a smooth metal surface without much wear and last for years. Thhe real probable reason it came with plastic C clips is one of price/money. And there is also a reason that replacements are fewer for the plastic clips over the steel ones, again money. The steel ones have less of a chance of having a burr that will really mess with the gear/wheel, and many people wouldn't trust one made of plastic.
 
Classic case of over-thinking the micro view of a common design. If that gear wears out, I guess I better look into replacing the plastic gears on my HP printer with 230,000+ Prints that I bought used from a legal office about 10-years ago. Nope, I just checked, all the plastic gears held by metal circlips are still fine.
 
shortbus= said:
If this is so, can you explain why the bearing hole in the gear center doesn't also wear out?
Click to expand...
Sure.

Consider this approximation of the OPs scenario. Silver is the axle; grey the circlip; cream the plastic gear:


Remember that for the gear to spin freely on the axle there must be some tolorance (gap) between the outer circumference of the axle and the inner circumference of the hole in the gear.

Think about the effect of any force that acts to cause the gear to twist relative to the axle. Think about the edge of the slot in the spring steel (hardened) circlip; especially the corner between the slot edge and the outer circumference.

In this cross-section that tolorance has been exaggerated for effect; but the gear has only twisted by 1°


Now zoom in on the inner edge, and top corner of the slot in the circlip (highlighted in brown):

And a little closer still:


That overlap between the spring steel circlip (brown; very hard) and the engineering plastic gear (yellow; relatively soft) is destructive interference.

Even if the circlip has been Tumble deburred (the blue things are metal parts, the pink things are granite deburring stones), even radiused edges of 48-50 HRC (Rockwell C), acting on (say) nylon at 115 HRR (Rockwell R), means the steel edge is a very effective cutting tool.
 

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Buk said:
Yawn. Classic case of nose-out-of-joint trolling. A know-nothing wanna-be trying salve his bruised ego.
For dog's sake; give it up already.

(Why of why does this place tolorate this ....)
Click to expand...
Really, resort to calling someone a troll because they point out that you're spewing nonsense?


 
gophert said:
So you're saying that my old printer isn't really working?
Click to expand...
I'm saying that posting an image you found by google from printertech.com here

and overwriting the existing annotation with another "quoting" something that noone said; fools noone.

The fact that there isn't a single circlip in the image you found.

The fact that the only thing resembling a circlip in the entire printer is an E-clip part no: XD2-1100-322CN that retains the Paper Feed Roller Clutch, and with that the blades bear into a slot in the shaft, and the circumference bears onto the end of the steel roller clutch at the center of a plastic gear:


All goes to show that you are not concerned with attempting to assist the person who started this thread; but rather are just making **** up in a purile and pathetic attempt at a put-down.
 
Buk said:
That overlap between the spring steel circlip (brown; very hard) and the engineering plastic gear (yellow; relatively soft) is destructive interference.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but nonsense.

That could only happen if there were less radial clearance than axial clearance, plus axial loading - which would be a very strange setup and only generally happen if something were extremely badly designed or already worn out.

Things with plastic circlips that do have some axial load by design tend to have an additional washer between the gear or whatever and the clip - which means the clip material is irrelevant.

It is purely a cost decision.

Any time I've seen plastic gears in industrial machines, various other parts have been steel or bronze etc., the same as if it were a metal gear. Plastic gears are often meshed with metal gears.

And of course there are now polymer alternatives to classic metal plain bearing bushes, intended to run on metal shafts:
 
I don't CARE about all what could have...... Thread is drifting and I aint happy.... All this bickering does not help the op...

My 10 peneth... Plastic circlips are difficult to get in certain areas... If he can get metal / stainless, so be it, it'll keep working.. just put a ptfe washer or white grease under it if you are worried.

Bluddy engineers and ego's... I can't bang heads together, but I can delete accounts...
 
Thanks for that debate guys, I've learned quite a bit from all of you.

If I happen to lose the plastic circlip on removal, I'll go with Ian Rogers suggestion; use a small amount of white grease before attaching steel circlip.
 
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