In the vast world of the manufacturing industry, beside security locks, door handles, padlocks, key knobs, the cremone bolt locks or the cylinders with safety keys, there is the category of the so-calledlockswithout an internal mechanism with pins or plates, but that are tool operated.

Just like didactic games with geometrical shapes for kids, these locks are operated by different tools, whose shape is inserted in zinc alloy box: triangular, squared, crossed, phillips, hexagonal, double flap or 3 mm pin. The principle is simple: once the key with the correct shape is inserted, the lock makes a quarter turn in the closing or opening position.

With these products, the word “protection” takes on the meaning of “protection from accidental opening”, caused perhaps by wind or wild animals. Its semplicity allows the product to be handled thousands of times without the risk of wear, while spring loaded compression action guarantees a better locking of the door even in the case in which the lock undergoes stress and vibration.

The IP65 variants (with internal O-Rings) or those made from technopolymers, a special “metallic plastic” that guarantees mechanical performances just like aluminium alloys, are extremely resistant to atmospheric agents and corrosion. The colour variants or the galvanic finishings, moreover, guarantee a perfect integration with the item.

Applications of tool operated camlocks are many: from the electrical board to the gas door, from machineries to the FIAT tool operated camlocks

The simplest version is the one characterised by the typical cockerel-shaped handle. There are also screwdriver operated locks, where a simple screwdriver or, in the case of the hexagonal tool operated camlock, an Allen key, is enough to operate the lock. The intermediate versions operated with a triangular shaped tool (for electrical applications), with a square shaped tool (for gas applications) or with a 3 mm pin (for machinery applications) require the use of a key. The FIAT tool operated version offers a higher level of security than the others, as the cross shaped tumbler’s head requires the use of a special key to open and close the camlock, not allowing the opening with other tools, like tongs. It’s therefore a good compromise between a tool operated camlock and a key operated one.

These products find their natural application on electrical cabinets, on automatic turrets, on control panels of the machinery, on isothermal boxes, on advertising systems of street furniture, on displays or on corners. Alternatively, they can be used to keep tools inside a car, to keep wires and cables on robots or on assembly lines, as well as on all the carpentry products and in the technical rooms.