How do you verify the 'seating' of a spiral retaining ring in an automated assembly line?

Ensuring a spiral ring is fully seated is critical, as a partially seated ring will fail at a fraction of its rated load. Automated verification can be achieved through: 1) Laser profiling, which checks the axial position and 'flatness' of the ring; 2) Vision systems that look for the characteristic 'gap' or the overlap of the multi-turn ends; or 3) A 'push-back' test where a calibrated axial force is applied to the component being retained to ensure it doesn't move. In some cases, acoustic emission sensors can detect the 'click' of the ring snapping into the groove. For safety-critical parts, the groove diameter itself must be inspected via air-gauging prior to ring installation.