How Many People Could Open That Switch?

A key lock switch works like a rotary switch, but instead of a knob or lever, it's turned with a removable key. That makes it a natural fit anywhere a switch needs to stay in position for long stretches without being knocked or bumped into changing, an alarm panel is a good example, and anywhere accidental or unauthorised operation is a real concern.

Key lock switches can be “keyed alike,” where the same key opens multiple switches, or manufactured with distinct, effectively random key patterns for added security. How many distinct patterns are possible depends entirely on the complexity of the lock itself, and that number varies enormously by series.

Some series come in a couple of hundred variations. Others are made in the tens of thousands. That number matters more than it might seem, it's really a measure of how likely someone else's key could also work on your switch.

Why the differs number matters

For a low-stakes application, a basic cover switch with nothing critical riding on it, a lower differs count is genuinely fine. But for a switch controlling something safety-critical, an isolator, a bypass, a restricted operating mode, the differs number is worth specifying deliberately.

Under-spec it, and there's a genuine chance a key from a completely different job or site could operate a switch it was never meant to. The right approach is matching the tier to what the switch is actually protecting.

Lorlin's key lock range spans that whole spectrum. Standard series like SRL and CKL are available in up to 2,000 unique key differs. At the high-security end, DSL uses over 15,000 dimpled key combinations, and LS300 goes up to 50,000. The same range also steps up through sealing levels, from standard through to WIRL's IP67 rating, for switches that need to hold up in wet or harsh environments as well as restrict access.

The same engineering care, applied to rotary switches

Lorlin brings the same attention to detail to its rotary switch range.

The CK series is available in both make-before-break and break-before-make switching types, a real distinction depending on what's downstream: whether the old contact needs to release before the new one connects or stay connected through the transition.

For process control applications, the GCK series uses Grey coding, where only one bit changes between adjacent positions. That matters because it prevents the switch passing through an invalid, ambiguous code as it's turned between settings, a genuine consideration for anything using a rotary switch to set an address or value on control equipment.

Like the key lock range, sealing is tiered here too, from the standard CK through to CKS, sealed to IP67 for the highest level of water ingress protection.

Behind the range

Lorlin offers genuine custom and modified switch designs, using 3D CAD tooling and in-house injection moulding and CNC production, not just standard catalogue parts.

Who is this for

For OEMs, machine builders, and engineers specifying for defence, mining or utilities applications, Lorlin's range covers everything from a standard mode selector through to a high-security, sealed key switch protecting a restricted function, all from one manufacturer.

Switches Plus Components is Lorlin's official Australian distributor. For current pricing and availability, contact our team.