Locking on to visual indicators for railways and commercial vehicles

Locks now available from FDB Panel Fittings Online store present an externally visible notch or marking to indicate their status of either latched or unlatched, so that a “quick glance can easily confirm that the panel is secure”, says the company.

Many of these locks with visual indicators are in stainless steel, with high degrees of dust and water sealing – eg, up to IP67 by virtue of the aggressive situations where they are needed; likewise, ex-stock compression designs that offer anti-vibration characteristics and so protect against nuisance opening.

“The ability to visually check latching status is especially important with quarter-turn locks/latches, which are generally small and round without positional reference, unless specifically added in manufacture – unlike L or T handles or swinghandles whose positional status can readily be seen by virtue of their operation,” adds FDB Panel Fittings Online.

Similarly with the intermediate presentation of companion wing-knob designs, which may be aligned to indicate their open/closed position – such as by having all adjacent handles oriented in the same direction, so that any stand-out is immediately obvious.