Updated: Friday the 25^th of May, 2012 TFC Ltd

With more than forty years of experience, we are one of the leading suppliers in Europe of technical fasteners to manufacturing and industry. As a single source solution that can help streamline your supply chain, we offer an extensive range of innovative standard and technical fasteners available when and where you need them at reduced acquisition costs. We also offer tailored solutions to meet your logistical requirements, with world class systems for Kan Ban, JIT and VMI systems that can help you achieve your lean manufacturing goals.

Our technical products include Smalley Wave Springs, Spirolox Rings and Laminar Sealing Rings as well as Hi-Tech Metal Seals.               

We also offer an extensive range of standard fastening products and solutions, such as panel fasteners, threaded fasteners, hose bands and connectors, seals, bonding and lubricants, to name only a few.

Wave Springs and Spiral Rings

We stock extensive supplies of wave springs and spiral rings in carbon and stainless steel ready for immediate despatch. If your application requires a custom component, we can provide these quickly, easily and economically using our unique "No-Tooling" edge winding precision production method. Our knowledgeable sales teams can help with advice on choosing the optimum material and design for your application. The wave springs and spiral rings we have in stock include:

• Crest-to-crest wave springs (also with shim ends)
• Gap & overlap type wave springs
• Wavo springs
• Nested wave springs
• Interlaced crest-to-crest wave springs
• Linear expanders
• Spiral retaining rings (internal / external / light, medium and heavy duty)
• Waverings
• Snap Rings

This is only a partial list; please see our website for further details.

Spirolox Retaining Rings

• Spiral winding in multiple turns for increased load capacity as well as ease of manual or automated assembly with no special tools required
• Uniform radial section
• Design flexibility: Ring thickness is readily changeable by varying material thickness or number of turns

A wide range of materials are available, including carbon spring and stainless steels as well as exotic alloys.

Laminar Sealing Rings

Made of edge coiled pre-tempered flat wire, Smalley Laminar Sealing Rings can be readily manufactured in special designs without the need for expensive tooling. They are available in a wide range of materials, including carbon spring and stainless steels as well as exotic alloys including Phosphor Bronze, Beryllium Copper, Inconel, A286 and Elgiloy. 

Materials Selection

Our flat wire products are available in a wide range of materials. The choice of material depends upon the application. Some of the options available include:

• Carbon steel, oil tempered or hard drawn: most suitable for use in protected environments due to carbon steel’s corrosion properties. Special finishes can be used to increase corrosion resistance.
• 302 and 316 Stainless steels for increased corrosion resistance and higher operating temperatures than carbon steels.                       
• AMS-5529 offers high yield and tensile strengths, and is almost exclusively used for wave springs
• Non-magnetic Elgiloy for excellent corrosion resistance and ability to withstand high operating temperatures
• Beryllium Copper alloy, with excellent strength and spring properties
• Inconel nickel chromium alloy in two different tempers
• Phosphor Bronze
• A286

An extensive range of finishes are available for increased corrosion resistance and aesthetic appeal.

Plastic and Spring Steel Fasteners

With more than 12,000 standard catalog items and over a million moulded and spring steel fasteners in stock, we have one of the largest ranges of spring steel, metal and plastic fasteners available:

• Plastic and metal nuts and rivets
• Panel fasteners
• Plastic pipe and wire fasteners
• Cable management fasteners and cable ties
• Circuit board and other electronic fasteners
• Conventional threaded fasteners
• Motion control and miscellaneous fasteners such as quarter turn fasteners, latches, hinges, dampers, feet, knobs, hole plugs, cover plugs and self-adhesive bumpers

Hi-Tech Metal Seals

• Temperature ranges from cryogenic to +750 degrees Celsius
• Pressure ranges from ultra high vacuum to more than 500 Mpa
• No explosive decompression
• High degree of tightness

Cross sections can range from .8mm to 12.5 mm, with circular, oval, race track and other shapes available. Three types of seal energisation can be used, depending on the application.               

Disc Springs

Disc springs are available in a variety of materials and finishes, and offer very high energy storage capabilities, taking up manufacturing tolerances and quieting bearings. The use of disc springs simplifies fittings by reducing the number of components required.               

We offer a comprehensive selection of bowed or waved spring washers to complement our extensive choice of disc springs. 

Circlips

We have more than forty standard ranges of circlips that are particularly suited to applications where radial and axial space is limited, end play compensation is required, or tolerance buildup of components present a problem. Our circlips offer ease of assembly and disassembly, corrosion resistance and the ability to withstand heavy axial forces. We can also provide non-magnetic circlips. Our knowledgeable technical support team are pleased to offer advice on the optimum circlip or retaining ring for your application.