This April EMKA (UK) Ltd will welcome visitors to their stand No. 4/N67 in The Security Event at the NEC from April 30 to May 2nd where they will demonstrate their wide range of innovative security hardware including locks, latches, hinges and seals used across all sectors of industry. This includes switch and control cabinets, HVACR systems, mechanical engineering, and transport (railway and CV, caravans, etc.) where they offer both conventional and electronic locking solutions.
The technical team will be exhibiting everything from standard quarter-turn locks and latches through swinghandles etc. for enclosures and doors to meet environmental protection ratings of IP65 and higher plus their electronic handles such as the Agent E program. Additional products offer solutions to more specific security requirements – for example the ePush Lock which provides secure closure without external visibility and the electronic single point latch system which integrates into multi-door access systems for remote operation and monitoring e.g. using coded inputs.
EMKA are delighted to be part of The Security Event this year under their banner of “Designed by the industry for the industry” offering visitors their best opportunity to source the latest products, technologies and solutions, whilst networking and meeting face-to-face with EMKA technical personnel so ensuring they are up-to-date with the latest developments and issues in security hardware.
Good examples are EMKA’s new Rack Management Systems which are installed worldwide in data centres and server parks of banks and co-location centres where a combination of electromechanical handles, software and radio technology is considered the best choice – such as the "Agent E" type handle, which offers personalised access to the cabinet as well as permanent monitoring and control of the opening and closing processes. Moreover, the system monitors all physical parameters in the rack and thus increases the operational reliability of the entire installation. It consists of database-driven control software, high-capacity modules and electro-mechanical handles.
Stand-alone systems are suitable for access control of individual racks and cabinets or enclosures that do not require central monitoring. Depending on the chosen lock the opening may be either effected by RFID cards or by entering a PIN code on a keypad. Systems with RFID cards are especially easy to install as no further wiring in is required.
Outdoor installations are addressed by the recently introduced swinghandle for the iLOQ S50 profile half cylinders – a unit which expands operational possibilities by using an energy-autonomous, digital locking solution. The system can be unlocked using a smartphone or digital key and, at the same time, is powered wirelessly by the same transmission.
Elsewhere smart access with a mobile phone app is the latest EMKA development in this arena, a move which promises to enable the benefits of new technology across all industrial enclosure/cabinet applications. This newly introduced app transforms the mobile phone into a digital key for the sophisticated locking solution so that it is possible to trace, manage, and access allocated handles with various levels of permission determined by specified user profiles.
For traditional general purposes EMKA ex-stock quarter-turns are quick to fit and quick to operate latch locks which suit factory to office, computer room to laboratory, where quarter-turns provide a simple and low-cost latching and locking system – some with spring clip fixing, others with back nut and an increasing focus on push/clip fit or other ultra-quick fit designs such as the EMKA 1022. So useful is the quarter-turn concept that new sizes, styles and specialist designs are constantly being brought forward in materials such as hi-tech plastic, zinc die or stainless steel to suit new applications and more varied environments.
Quarter-turns are the ubiquitous door closing workhorse of the enclosure world frequently offering IP65 degree of sealing – a favourite is the insert lock with a triangular, square or double bit format or one of many others, which offers a variable degree or security dependent on the key design, with good leverage where the key doubles as a handle. Modular quarter-turns from EMKA have been a major benefit to panel builders as they are available with matching cams of varying offset and usually with different body lengths, so enabling a considerable range of door/frame depth to be accommodated.
Often loosely categorised under quarter-turns are many compression latch/locks which are based on the same body pattern. Strictly they latch with a quarter-turn and then compress the gasket with an additional 90-degree turn. A feature that offers a greatly enhanced level of sealing and vibration resistance e.g. in stainless steel for pressure-washed hygiene areas.
Externally invisible locking is offered by the new EMKA ePush-Lock, meeting the need for a comfortable non-handle locking system. This flat design style of internal locking handle is the trend for mobile homes and many other applications where it is advantageous to disguise opening panels. EMKA have therefore developed this new invisible electronic ePush Lock for exactly this situation. The user simply opens and closes the door or flap by pressing from the outside. The flap then opens automatically without further intervention. The design allows doors and latches to fit perfectly into the exterior design of any caravan, specialist vehicle or office cabinet – without visible cut outs or corresponding dirt traps. The lock is screwed and mounted behind the panel, so there is no need to breach the outer seal and the electronic controls enable integration into the central locking system with an emergency opening also incorporated.
Their eCam program further facilitates electronic locking for quarter-turns and other latching without the need to change doors or panels on machine controls, machine guards, control and data housings, so ensuring major time and cost savings over the alternative of re-installing new cabinets. eCam is UL and DIN certified. Applications for eCam include trailers, mobile homes and RVs where it enables multiple locking/unlocking from a remote central point.
EMKA brings the same innovative thinking to the problems of vandal resistance for locking outdoor cabinets which has (sadly) become a significant issue. They have therefore responded with a range of swinghandles capable of resisting vandal attack to level RC2 (DIN EN 1630) and other solutions including electronic lock and release mechanisms which allow the door lock to be completely concealed within the cabinet.
For less exposed areas this RC2 capability is complimented with a wide range of swinghandles which meet the need for slightly lower resistance levels, a situation where the swinghandle design is intrinsically appropriate to the task, by virtue of the way the pop out lever is recessed into the escutcheon body with naturally small clearances. This level includes product solutions with double profile half cylinders or with padlock facility – also in tough reinforced polyamide, high quality zinc die or stainless steel.
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