Mass production of lock pins

[cj101]

Hi guys,

does anybody of you know, how pins for locks are currently typically being mass produced?

Are there patents for pin machines (including machines for security pins)?
I tried to search already, but I only found numerous patents for pin tumbler lock, high security pin tumbler locks and so on, but no information on how to produce such parts.

If I have a close look on several pins in my collection, I see, there are lots of polished pins (Bks, old Abus/Cisa, old Zeiss Ikon).

Some pins appear to have a very tiny groove, very probably a tool mark, resembling a screw thread (new Abus pins, new Zeiss Ikon/Assa Abloy pins).

Some cheap pins from 1€ chinese locks look like they have been grinded crudely by hand on a standard workshop bench grinder.

I guessed already, that maybe a centerless grinding process might be used, but I am not sure about this.

Are there any machines or tools around to help a locksmith to produce pins?

[Squelchtone]

LAB made their own machines, take a look at their History page http://www.lab-lockpins.com/companyhistory.htm

[cj101]

Thank you for the link.

From the phtos presented on the website I do unfortunately not understand how the machine works.
I just tried a search and found 3 patents from Lab Security systems including a medeco pin decoder, a pin sorting tray and a special pin grip for inserting springs and pins.

Unfortunately neither Bob or Robert Labbe or LAB security systems did file a patent for their pin production machine.

[Squelchtone]

Are you doing reasearch to satisfy your own curiosity, to write a paper or book, or are you in the market for a pin making machine for your own use?

Youtube had some videos of Master lock and how they load pins into locks, but not sure if they showed the wire spools and how they fed through a machine and cut individual pins from the wire. it may have been How Its Made or one of those shows.

[cj101]

At the moment, I'm interested for my own curiousity.

I'm not only interested in lock picking but also in model making and how locks actually work and how they are produced.
I already tried to rebuild a Assa Twin and a Medeco lock from a standard Abus lock - although not as precise as the original, they work (unfortunately the picking security also depends lots on precision - as I found out).

I already made a lot of pins (including serrated, beveled, mushrooms, ...) on my own using one or two Proxxon Micro Drill, a bench grinder, sand paper, a saw and so on.
I included already the counter milling made by Assa and Ruko lock to my own house lock, together with the corresponding pins and tested out some patented pin designs as far as I could produce them myself.

I already made some 'tools' like height adjusting counter pins for the micro drill chucks. Recently I made a special chuck on a lathe where you can insert a counter screw on the backside to adjust the height of the pin by cutting a screw thread on the backside of the chuck.
Afterwards, I fill in my own pins into my locks and try to pick them and set up some small master key systems for me and some friends

Currently I'm trying to come up with a mathematical/physical lock picking model to optimize 'better' pick proof pins.
My brother, an engineer in the plastic industry, told me, whenever you try to come up with a new design, you should also know how to produce it.
So I am curious, how quality pins are currently produced in the industry.

Making pins with plastic injection molding would be quite easy to do in extremely high quantities even for very special ones (like Medeco, Schlage Primus Sidebar or Dom Saturn Pins), but I doubt anybody would like to use them.


The youtube video of master lock I know - but the process of making pins is not explained.
There is another good german video on youtube from 'Sendung mit der Maus' where several machine in the Zeiss Ikon facility are shown. However, the pin making steps are not included here, too.

[dll932]

Thank you for the link.

From the phtos presented on the website I do unfortunately not understand how the machine works.
I just tried a search and found 3 patents from Lab Security systems including a medeco pin decoder, a pin sorting tray and a special pin grip for inserting springs and pins.

Unfortunately neither Bob or Robert Labbe or LAB security systems did file a patent for their pin production machine.

They mention screw machines. These are automatic lathes that perform sequential operations with different tools. Here's an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot6_4R1oZpM

[Jacob Morgan]

Also known to some people as Swiss Screw Machines. They operate off of mechanical cams that can be adjusted to make different lengths, bevels, etc. Stock is fed in, the collet closes, then the machining happens, finishing with a parting tool cutting off the new pin. Making mushroom or spool pins would be no big deal. Machines like that can be set up then run unattended except for loading new raw material, changing worn tooling, and setting up for a different part. The same parts could be made with CNC lathes, but probably not worth the extra capital unless a screw machine breaks and parts are unavailable. Screw machines have been around since the 1800's.

After that they are likely tumble debured to take off any burrs left by the machining.

Prior to the Swiss Screw Machine the brass probably shows up as spools of wire that are pulled through a die to get a clean and precise diameter and then sheared to some length more useful for the screw machine. Dies wear down and that will create larger diameter pins as time goes by. Probably the machine operator has a go / no-go snap and is supposed to change dies when the OD gets too big.

But, I don't think that a Screw Machine can make angled cuts as one would have with Medecco pins. Maybe the are clamped into work holding devices and gang-milled on purpose-built machines? There is machinery out there that will load small parts like that into fixtures.

Never been in a lock factory, but I've been around manufacturing a while and that would all be my guess.

[mh]

One technique is to feed brass wire through a chuck, and just use a custom-form cutting tool that has the desired shape of the pin and will also cut the pin off.

Cheers
mh

[Jacob Morgan]

Squelchtone referenced this page in his post, but let me add that it is worth taking a look at. Here is a photo of their first custom-built machine to make their pins: http://www.lab-lockpins.com/images/bobs_machines_closeup.jpg I think that is only the end of the machine, and the portion that would have feed in the rod is not attached to it any longer. One can see a micrometer at the very end that must have been used to control the length of the pins.

Their home page http://www.lab-lockpins.com/htm/catalog.html has some of their current machines in the background, they have "Rotomatic" on them and that is (or was?) a company that made screw machines. LAB's site states that they have customized their 120 Swiss screw machines that are in use. There is another page that has a picture of the brass wire still coiled up, and it even gives the alloy designation:http://www.lab-lockpins.com/htm/pins_and_kits.html. That same page also has a link to a video of pins being made, but I can not seem to get it to work on my PC. If anyone can figure out how to make the video play please let me know how.

[jeffmoss26]

Yep - swiss machining. My old work had quite a few of these machines for making precision parts - ball screws etc.