It is vitally important for engineers to work with safe and secure components to achieve machine efficiency and ensure worker safety. Locking pins are a commonly used component in engineering, production, and machine manufacturing to secure moving components in a confined space, but selecting the right locking pin for the right application is of vital importance. Marcus Schneck, CEO of norelem, explains the details to consider when choosing a locking pin and the benefits they provide.
The Benefits
In the last five years, 7,200 serious accidents have been recorded in the manufacturing industry, with 33,000 workers suffering injuries caused by their manufacturing work.
Every day in production, machines are handled manually. However, in the hope of doing things faster and more efficiently, safety is sometimes ignored, leading to accidents and injuries.
These shortcuts might get things done faster, but they also pose greater risks that will prove more expensive in the long run. A simple shortcut can be failing to install a component properly, failing to position it in the machine correctly, or even choosing the wrong component for the application.
Since safety in component handling is a major concern, locking pins were created to improve the robustness of moving parts and prevent components from moving out of place and posing a potential hazard.
Locking pins, for example, are used to lock or index machine components and can be used in machine manufacturing to secure pivoting or rotating parts. Pulling a button or ring activates a pin mechanism that extracts a locking pin from a hole in another part, allowing machine connecting elements to be locked or released quickly and easily.
Locking pins offer speed and efficiency to machinery and ensure safety and security while components are in operation. Therefore, the use of locking pins can save on maintenance and repair costs in the future. Choosing the right locking pin is key to avoiding damage and accidents in manufacturing environments. The use of locking pins allows for quick adjustment of moving machine elements, usually through a predetermined retention mechanism to assist when machine parts are in motion.
Plunge into the unknown
There are currently a wide variety of locking pins on the market that offer different advantages:
Locking pins with thread locking. This locking allows the pin to be screwed in to the exact depth without the need for a spacer ring.
Locking pins with an enlarged locking pin. Enlarged locking pins are used when greater distances must be overcome between the locking pin and the workpiece or other workpiece, substantially bridging that dangerous distance.
Locking pins with a cylindrical pin and locking pins with a conical pin. The precise design of these two locking pins ensures high precision and repeatability when assembling two elements. The conical shape of the locking pin/locking hole ensures virtually no play and therefore high precision. It is recommended to use mounting sockets that accommodate the locking pin with these high-precision locking pins.