Despite the rapid development of robotics, manual labor remains very popular. Good locksmiths are very much appreciated. The scope of manual labor is vast - from artisanal productions and households to modern manufacturing enterprises equipped with the latest technology. Of course, there are many types of locksmith work. It is not possible to list everything within the framework of one article. But to give an idea of the main and most common works and give a brief overview of the tool - you can.
General Provisions
Under locksmithing is understood the assembly and repair of all kinds of components, the processing of materials (steel and metal alloys) in various sectors of the economy: mechanical engineering, consumer services (repair of locks, etc.), after-sales service and car repair. Accordingly, there are different types of locksmith work.
A locksmith's workplace may look different. In general, this is a certain area of the workshop (site), equipped with all necessary equipment and tools. Types of locksmith work can be very different from each other. Therefore, in one case, the workplace is a desk in a warm and comfortable room, in the other it is a tent without amenities somewhere in the taiga (during the construction and repair of gas and oil pipeline infrastructure).
The most common and recognizable tool of a locksmith's work is a workbench. This, in fact, is a table on which there are all the necessary tools for carrying out technological operations assigned to a given workplace. There must also be a device for fixing the working drawings of the products.
As a rule, the countertop itself is made of hardwood and covered with sheet steel with a thickness of one millimeter. Under the table, it is advisable to equip the boxes for storing tools and materials. The absence of a protective metal screen on the workbench is considered a gross violation of labor protection standards and rules.
Bench vise
A mandatory attribute of a bench is a vise. Indeed, without them it is impossible to quickly and efficiently remove the burr after machining, as well as smooth sharp corners. Depending on the intended type of locksmithing work, the vice can be manual, chair and parallel. Due to the simplicity of design, ease of use and versatility, parallel (with and without rotary mechanism) vice got the most distribution. When unclenching, the sponges of such a vice remain parallel to each other.
For some types of locksmith work, it is necessary to use a vice with a rotary mechanism. This allows you to significantly accelerate the implementation of a number of technological operations, provides production flexibility and the ability to quickly change readjustment for new products. As a rule, the upper part is swivel and is attached to the base with one large bolt in the center or several on the sides. If necessary, for some types of locksmithing work, you can quickly turn ordinary fixed from a rotary vice. This will significantly increase the rigidity of the fixture and reduce vibration.
The scope of the chair vise is very small. It is limited only to work associated with significant cyclic impacts on the fixture.
The height of the workbench and, accordingly, the vise should be selected taking into account the growth of the worker. This will significantly increase the efficiency of work and reduce fatigue. The height of the vise is considered optimal if the worker, bending his arm at the elbow, can ride it with the jaws of the vise. In this case, the fingers of the hand should touch the chin.
Types of metalwork and their purpose
The following classification of locksmith works is generally accepted:
- preparatory
- processing in size,
- fitting.
Typically, a locksmith has a certain narrow specialization. And one specialist can quickly and accurately perform only a certain type of work. There are, of course, some kind of broad-based specialists. But these are, as a rule, young workers who have only recently left the walls of the educational institution and are only mastering the basics of the profession. They cannot be entrusted with truly complex and responsible work.
The name of these or those types of works is indicated by their name. So, the preparatory work is aimed at providing preparation for the process, processing in size - the impact on the material and the workpiece with a tool in order to give it the desired shape, fitting - assembly and refinement of parts and assemblies.
Preparatory work
This group includes the following types of locksmith work:
- metal marking
- cutting
- leveling,
- bending and cutting of steels and alloys.
These operations are initial and are aimed at obtaining the workpiece for its further processing or transfer to the heat treatment section.
These works are characterized by low productivity and high complexity. Instead of cutting sheet material with a chisel and manually, almost all industrial enterprises use a numerically controlled laser cutting machine. But in home workshops, if it is necessary to obtain blanks from sheet material, they are still using and will obviously use this technology for a very long time to come. Also, this technique is used in repair shops and refers to the most common types of metalwork and mechanical maintenance of automobiles.
The same situation is typical for metal marking: modern cutting machines for plasma, gas and laser cutting allow you to cut products with smooth edges from a sheet of metal that do not require finishing with a file. Therefore, many workers no longer know what it means to draw risks on the surface of the metal and then produce blanks. But not so long ago (perhaps 15 years ago) this operation was one of the main types of locksmith work. The markup was trusted only by very responsible and experienced masters. But again, in the conditions of a single and artisanal production, there is no alternative to this technology: people still punch out the markings, and then using various tools (a chisel, a hacksaw, a vice, a punch press and others) get pieces of a sheet of the required size . Marking must be done on the scribe. This is a special fixture. Precisely mark the part on an uneven and walking surface will not work.
But editing and straightening are not only actively used, but the need for these works annually only increases. And thanks to the rapid increase in the number of cars in our country and the inexperience of drivers, car repair shops make their revenue mainly from bodywork. Editing and straightening of car bodies that have fallen into small accidents are the main types of locksmith work in car services, not counting the repair and restoration of engines and car suspensions.
Preparatory operations also include bending. It can be carried out using a hand tool (vise and hammer, snail, etc.), as well as on specialized machine tools.
Dimensional processing
This category includes filing the contour of products, drilling holes and cutting internal and external threads, as well as other types of locksmith work. Their purpose and main task is to obtain a product of a given shape and with the characteristics of surface roughness.
Sawing is carried out with a file in order to smooth the surface after cutting with a chisel, as well as after pressure treatment (cold stamping). Sawing is also often used to remove sharp burrs extruded by a cutting tool (milling cutter or turning tool).
Hole processing also refers to the main types of locksmithing. Especially if you need to get a very accurate center distance with a small tolerance. Modern coordinate boring machines and machining centers will cope with this task very quickly. But in order to manually accurately drill holes, you need a very high qualification. Not everyone can afford such a task. Anyone can drill a few holes. But to maintain the given sizes is a problem. Especially if you do not have at the disposal not only a CNC machine, but also a conventional radial-drilling unit. The processing accuracy in this case affects the build quality of the product and its appearance. Assembly and assembly work can only be successfully carried out if all technological requirements are met.
Threading a mechanic can be done in several ways: manually with a die and tap, and on a screw-cutting machine. In the second case, the locksmith must have the category of a machinist. It should be noted that most workers still in vocational schools and colleges receive, in addition to the profession of a locksmith, the profession of a machine operator as well, and have a corresponding document confirming the right to work on the machine. To obtain a thread on the machine, you must be able to use the screw feed of the machine, as well as sharpen the threaded cutter. High-quality sharpening is impossible without special tools and a diamond abrasive wheel for fine-tuning. Therefore, it is recommended to use cutters with interchangeable inserts for cutting internal and external threads.
The need for threaded connections occurs almost everywhere. But this is especially important when performing all types of locksmith work in the boiler room, where special requirements are placed on the quality and reliability of pipe threaded joints. Indeed, in a boiler room steam is supplied through metal pipes under high pressure, and if the places of the threaded joints are weakened, a breakdown of the steam line can occur, which will result in personal injury and injury. Increased requirements for the reliability of threaded joints are also imposed when erecting structures made of a metal profile (be it transport bridges or metal frames of buildings). In this area, as a rule, factory-made hardware is used. However, the assembly fitter can still be tasked with making a custom stud or bolt from some special material.
Fitting work
The following operations are referred to as fitting (or fitting) works:
- polishing,
- grinding,
- debugging
- fitting
- scraping.
All of the above technological operations are united by one thing - this is finishing.
Polishing can not be attributed to the main types of locksmithing, but its field of application is very extensive: from the preparation of thin sections for microanalysis of steels and non-ferrous metals and alloys to the preparation for operation of foundry molds from tool steels (chill molds). Also, polishing is carried out to give the products shine and attractive appearance (performs a purely decorative function).
To carry out polishing, special polishing machines (type “NERIS”) are used. Such equipment has special rotating circles covered with felt or felt fabric. Special pastes are used as an abrasive: chromium oxide (also called GOI paste (State Optical Institute)), aluminum oxide, diamond pastes of various fractions and other substances. There is also equipment on the market for polishing in an electrolyte environment. If the operation is performed manually, ordinary drills with special felt nozzles are used, as well as ordinary fabric (felt or felt).
Lapping is carried out as follows: the two parts that make up the friction pair are put into operation and are subjected to a significant number of work cycles with gradually increasing load (clamping force and friction speed gradually increase). This operation is one of the most important types of fitting and assembly work. Many believe that lapping is optional, and unfairly belittle its role, and often completely neglect it. This is a big mistake. After all, it is simply necessary when assembling heavily loaded units with rubbing parts: smooths the microrelief, improves the fit of parts, which significantly increases the life of the unit, prevents the flow of lubricant, and so on.
A special place in any assembly production of critical products is given to finishing operations - another important type of locksmithing. Their purpose is the elimination of recoverable defects after machining and the preparation of the product for assembly (purging, eliminating burrs and contaminants).
Classification of locksmith tools
The tool with which all types of mechanical and mechanical works are carried out is usually classified as follows:
- measuring,
- marking
- fixing
- shock,
- cutting,
- assembly.
Each of the presented categories serves to perform specific tasks. Some of the groups should be considered in more detail.
Clamping tool
The clamping tool is a vice and clamps, as well as all kinds of pliers and pliers.
The vice is mounted on a workbench and serves to fix the workpieces for the purpose of their further processing. There are a large number of all kinds of vices, depending on the size and purpose.
Clamps are designed to clamp one product to another. Most often, the need for their use arises when gluing surfaces.
Cutting tool
This is without a doubt the most significant and important group. The cutting category includes a large number of tools: a hacksaw, scissors, a chisel, nippers, files and files, burrs, burrs, countersinks, reamers, reamers, dies, taps, cutters, etc. Almost all the names are familiar every person. This list includes tools for manual processing, as well as for processing on machines. Some of them are universal, can be used both in machine processing of metals and alloys by cutting, and in manual (for example, drills and taps).
The main difference between the cutting tool and other types is the formation of metal chips during operation. If the cutting conditions are selected incorrectly, then the chips will curl and wrap around the working bodies. Therefore, empirically or by reference, such modes are selected in which the chips will be loose. This will significantly extend the life of the tool and reduce the risk of injury to workers.
Measuring tool
This group includes rulers, tape measures, standards, gauges, plugs, calipers, depth gauges, calipers, micrometers and goniometers.
The entire tool listed is of great practical importance. Without it, it is impossible to manufacture a product that meets all the requirements of technological documentation. Rulers and tape measures are necessary for measuring the dimensions of workpieces and parts. They allow measurements to be made with a large error.
To control the executive dimensions, it is necessary to use a caliper and depth gauge. These tools allow you to take measurements to the nearest hundredth of a millimeter.
Gauge plugs are hardened cylindrical bodies with a handle. With their help, you can control the size of the holes with a high degree of accuracy. The through plug should effortlessly pass into the hole, respectively, the through plug should not fall through. The tool is used not only when machining on machines, but also in the implementation of some other types of locksmith work. What are some alternative ways to control the executive hole sizes? You can use a standard vernier caliper. But in this case, the probability of obtaining large inaccuracies in the testimony is high. Accurately measure holes allow the so-called caliper with an indicator. This is a fairly sensitive tool, so you need to handle it very carefully and follow the storage rules. The adjustment of the caliper is carried out using a micrometer. By deviating the indicator arrows, they judge whether the hole size is exceeded or underestimated.
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Assembly operations are the main and most important class and type of locksmithing. Briefly, their purpose can be characterized as follows: obtaining from a disparate parts of the product, ready for use for its intended purpose, or receiving the site of the mechanism.
Even a simple layman, far from technology, knows that assembly is carried out with wrenches and screwdrivers. In some cases (when assembling very accurate and critical components and mechanisms), requirements are made for the moment of tightening the nuts. In such circumstances, a torque wrench or ratchet wrench, designed for a specific tightening force, is used.