Lateral movement in UT BBs is quite normal and to some extend designed-in. Within limits it is not detrimental to performance.
Assuming that all the basic assembly has been done correctly (BB width within spec, BB shell (in threaded versions) thread-chased and faced, cups correctly torqued (or pressed in the case of press-fit systems), spring clip on chainset side fully inserted,1 x wavy washer on NGS, central bolt correctly torqued) it then depends a little on how much force you need to apply in order to get the lateral movement as to whether there is a problem or not.
Direct load along the line of the BB axle in excess of 5-7kg may induce a small amount of side-to-side motion. The spring clip will limit that motion to 0.5mm.
If you have more side-to side motion than this, the likely cause is that the spring clip is not fully inserted. It should sit flush in the channel that is provided in the gear-side cup. This way, the two ends of the spring clip will protrude through the wall of the BB cup and sit between the bearing and the outer lip seal. The distance from the inner surface of the correctly inserted spring clip to the base of the bearing cup is ~6.5mm. The bearing is 6mm wide - hence 0.5mm of movement.
Other causes can be that the ends of the spring clip are worn (or even missing), allowing greater play than this, or that the wavy washer is damaged and so not correctly pre-loading the assembly - in that case freer movement (lower axial load) or greater movement can result. If the BB shell is under-dimension, this also means that the wavy washer can't do it's job, resulting in freer movement than should be seen.
Some frame manufacturers have adopted a direct-fit system for the UT system where the cup seats are integrated into the frame, usually in the form of an insert that is in-moulded into a frame made of carbon fibre composite material - they may and may not have accurately respected Campagnolo's specification for the cup in the design of their inserts (we have seen a limited number of cases like this).
Some frame designs are not suited to UT BB assemblies in their un-modified form - as an example, the Specialized OSBB system does not support UT without a press-fit alloy sleeve first being fitted, into which the BB cups are threaded (and our understanding is that Specialized will not warranty frames where this device has been used). If the nominally-correct sized Campagnolo adapters (designed for BB30 Press Fit) are used in OSBB, we have found that the BB shell is not capable of supporting the load correctly and the adapters can move.
If the movement causes a lot of noise, or if you are experiencing front shift problems, please contact me via the messaging system here or via
www.velotech-cycling.ltd.uk and I will either refer you to a local Campagnolo ProShop, or will do my best to resolve your problem by other means.
