Industrial handles come in a variety of styles, one of which is ball locking. Also known as quick release locking pins, they are commonly used to adjust or remove machinery accessories. Ball locking handles consist of a handle and a ball-based locking mechanism. You can insert them into machinery to adjust or remove accessories. Here’s everything you need to know about ball locking handles.
The Basics of Ball Locking Handles
Ball locking handles are devices that leverage one or more ball detents to lock into place. They feature a handle — typically with a push button on top — that’s connected to a shaft. At the opposite end of the shaft are one or more ball detents.
How Ball Locking Handles Work
Ball locking handles work by aligning themselves in holes via one or more ball detents. To better understand how they work, you must first familiarize yourself with ball detents.
A ball detent to a ball bearing that’s designed to hold a moving part in a fixed, stationary position. They are usually spring-loaded. By default, a coil spring will apply pressure to the ball detent while subsequently holding the moving part in a stationary position. Pushing the button on the top of the handle, however, will release the handle. When you press the button, the spring will disengage the ball detent, thus allowing you to pull the handle out of the hole.
L-Style vs T-Style Ball Locking Handles
There are different types of ball locking handles, such as L and T. They both feature a handle and one or more spring-loaded ball detents. The difference lies in their handle shape.
L-style ball locking handles feature an L-shaped handle. T-style ball locking handles, on the other hand, feature a T-shaped handle. They still contain the same parts, including one or more ball detents; L-style and T-style ball locking handles simply feature different handle shapes.
What About Ball Locking Ring Handles?
In addition to L-style and T-style ball locking handles, there are ball locking ring handles. Ball locking ring handles are characterized by an attached ring. They feature a button, which you can press to release them. But ball locking ring handles also have a ring over this button.
Some people prefer the ergonomic design of ball locking ring handles. After pressing the button, you can grab and pull the ring. Since the ring is attached to the handle itself, pulling it will remove the handle from the hole in which it’s inserted.