Industrial pins are commonly used to secure and align components. They typically consist of a shaft and a handle. The shaft features precise measurements, allowing you to insert it into a machine. There are several different types of industrial pins, however, one of the most popular being positive stop release. What are positive stop release pins exactly?
Overview of Positive Stop Release Pins
Positive stop release pins are locking pins. Like most industrial pins, they are used to secure and align components.
You can insert a positive stop release pin into a machine to secure or align the machine’s components. You can then remove the positive stop release pin from the machine. Positive stop release pins are industrial pins that feature a ball-based locking mechanism.
Upon inserting a positive stop release pin into a machine, the detent balls will lock it in place. Positive stop release pins have a pair of small metal balls. Known as detent balls, they allow positive stop release pins to lock into place.
How Positive Stop Release Pins Work
Industrial pins can be classified as locking or non-locking. Positive stop release pins fall under the former category. They are locking industrial pin that will lock into place.
You can see an example of a positive stop release pin in the photo above. It consists of a handle, a shaft and a pair of detent balls. The detent balls are at the end of the shaft. Positive stop release pins leverage these detent balls to lock into place.
Common Features of Positive Stop Release Pins
The detent balls used in positive stop release pins are typically made of stainless steel. Stainless steel detent balls are strong, long-lasting and resistant to corrosion.
While most positive stop release pins feature stainless steel detent balls, some of them are made of different materials than others. The shaft, for instance, may be made of zinc-plated steel or stainless steel. Zinc-plated steel and stainless steel are both strong and durable materials. Zinc-plated steel simply features a thin layer of protective zinc, whereas stainless steel is an iron alloy with at least 11% chromium.
Positive stop release pins are available in different handle styles. Some of them have a ring-shaped handle, whereas others have T-shaped handle. The positive stop release pin in the photo above features a ring-shaped handle. You can remove it by gripping the ring-shaped handle and pulling it out of the machine. Other positive stop release pins have a T-shaped handle.