Bolt with lock well secured

Pin connectors quickly and reliably join and secure various components. For increased safety against accidental release or even manipulation, Ganter has now developed the new lockable stainless steel pins GN 314.

Even though pin connectors may seem simple at first glance, Ganter repeatedly demonstrates that this type of standard element is far from fully developed. The recently introduced variants GN 113.11 and GN 113.12 with their single-sided L-handle are ideal for use in tight construction spaces. As usual, the two balls in the pin are released via the push button in the handle.

The latest addition to the pin family, the GN 314 type, omits this button. Instead, it takes over the one-piece handle and incorporates a feature that is extremely important for certain applications: it can be locked.

This functionality is especially important in safety-critical applications, as the locking prevents modifications to temporary or permanent structures. Stages, tribunes, projection walls of drive-in cinemas, speaker towers, or even production facilities are made tamper-proof with the lockable pin. Thanks to its stepped dimensions – the pin covers diameters from 8 to 20 millimeters and lengths up to 120 millimeters – the GN 314 is suitable for a wide range of applications, where securing was previously difficult to achieve. Additionally, Ganter, as usual, produces other custom special sizes.

The operation can be summarized briefly: rotating the key 180 degrees moves an eccentric in the tip of the pin via an axis, which pushes a locking pin out of the cross-section of the pin. Removing the key locks the locking pin in place and prevents unauthorized removal of the pin. Each pin is supplied with two keys.

In the locking type SC, all installed pins can be operated with the same key, while the locking type SU provides a different key for each pin. This way, groups with the same lock can be implemented within a larger application with different lock types.

The new pin also offers high safety regarding its load capacity. According to DIN 50141, Ganter determined the shear strength of the pins – specifically, the double shear strength. In testing, the pin connects one element with a comprehensive other component, and the force that causes failure in the two shear planes is measured. For a pin with a 10-millimeter diameter, the load capacity is 46 kN, and for a 20-millimeter diameter, it is as high as 227 kN.