The development of modern industrial locks

0 Preface

Industrial locks have a history of development for many years. As time goes by, the forms of products are also various, and they are used in more and more industries. Now the international competition is becoming more and more fierce, there are several excellent companies in the forefront of the market, such as EMKA and Dirak in Europe, Southco in America and Takigen in Asia, etc. The reason why they have become the leaders of industrial locks is that they rely on their own strong technical force, continue to innovate and make continuous progress, so that the development of the enterprise has always been at the forefront of the industry.

1 Functionality of modern industrial locks

All industrial lock companies are generally similar, but it is this small difference that brings different markets to different companies. Why do we say that the same product is divided into expensive and cheap? Why is there a difference between good and bad? Why are there different markets?

1) The most widely used functionality. This is not difficult to understand, because when you get the lock, the beautiful appearance will leave a good first impression, and you will definitely consider whether it is good to use or not. Pick up the key to open the lock, if the use is smooth, this has reached the standard. Most companies pay more attention to this, and even put it in the first place in the quality control, which shows its importance.

2) The most valuable unique functionality. This aspect is the embodiment of the core technical strength of the enterprise. For their own products, everyone hopes to be unique and occupy their own market share. Unique functionality mainly includes structure, surface treatment, assembly, etc. After the product is given unique functionality, its competitiveness will be greatly improved, followed by an increase in value. In terms of structure alone, the same industrial lock called ordinary cam lock has many different unique functional structures. For example: (a) a variety of rotation angles (90°, 105°, etc.) can be realized; (b) the limit structure can be added to the lock body, or it can be realized by the lock cylinder and the lock body; (c) the IP protection level of the cam lock can be achieved by the adjustment of the outer gasket or the inner gasket. The emergence of each new type of lock is the result of the efforts of engineers. Whether it is a structural change or a modification of the assembly process, continuous research and experiments are required. It can be said that the unique functionality represents the crystallization of the wisdom of engineers in the industrial lock industry.

3) The most user-friendly multi-purpose functionality. Usually everyone thinks that the lock is naturally a tool to realize the locking function, and it will be useless in other environments. However, there are many humanized design concepts in industrial locks. The technicians designed the key's hanging ring as a bottle opener. This design not only makes full use of the space, but also brings many conveniences to the user. There are also octagonal L-shaped keys, which are not only a general-purpose key, but also can be used as a wrench to tighten or remove screws. These simple humanized designs are reflected in the development of new industrial locks.

2 The appearance of modern industrial locks

As mentioned earlier, a beautiful appearance leaves a good first impression, but this first impression cannot be achieved by just talking about it. With the same surface requirements, the products made by different companies are different, because of different craftsmanship and different materials. For example, surface treatment. This involves many aspects, such as glossy, matt, etc., which are the requirements for the surface; such as chrome plating, galvanizing, spraying, etc., which are the requirements for the surface protection layer.

With the development of modern industrial locks, stainless steel products occupy a dominant position in some fields, and its surface treatment requirements include sandblasting, polishing, machining and so on.

3 Security of modern industrial locks

Most of today's customers focus on safety. The industries involved include railways, wind power, communications and other industries.

In the wind power industry, since most of the locks are used outdoors, and they are all in sparsely populated areas with high terrain or at sea, this requires outdoor locks not only to be dust-proof, anti-corrosion, but also anti-theft. Dustproof and anti-corrosion are to ensure the normal use of locks in harsh natural environments, while anti-theft is to prevent external man-made damage. These measures together have high requirements for locks, but this is what modern industrial locks have to face. Only when these conditions are met can the safety be achieved, and the continuous, stable and normal operation of the customer's work equipment can be guaranteed.

The requirements for special locks on railways are also rising. As passenger trains, especially express expresses after speed increase, as well as EMUs and intercity expressways, the first consideration for them is the safety of passengers. The locks involved in some parts have been tested and verified to ensure the safety of the train during running. The shock-proof and anti-vibration functions are important for locks on trains, and the above-mentioned dust-proof and anti-corrosion are also required for the locks outside the car.

4 Conclusion

I think that modern industrial locks will be used in various industries with the development of the times. Whether it is functionality, appearance, or safety, it will continue to be innovative and more humanized. In order to meet the needs of each customer, the variety of modern industrial locks will also be more abundant, standardized products and highly distinctive products will differentiate the market, and the competition will be more intense.

References

[1] Li Yaotian, editor-in-chief. Hardware Manual [S]. China Electric Power Publishing House.

[2] The latest lock parts production plus lock design manual [S].

[3] Lock manufacturing tools [M]. Light Industry Press.