Raw Materials

Standard five-tumbler key locks are made of various strong metals. The internal
mechanisms of locks are generally made of brass or die-cast zinc. The cam, which is
the tongue that protrudes from the lock to secure it, is usually made of steel or
stainless steel. The outer casing of a lock may be made of brass, chrome, steel, nickel
or any other durable metal or alloy.

A cutaway of a standard Yale lock. This lock has a rotating cylinder that is held fast in the
bolt by a series of five spring-driven pins of different heights. The key has five notches on it
that correspond to the heights of the five pins. When the correct key is inserted, the pins line
up level, and the cylinder can be turned to disengage the bolt. If the wrong key is inserted,
the pins catch.

The key

 For the standard five-tumbler key lock, the key is made first. The lock manufacturer
buys key blanks and cuts the ridges, or combinations, in each key. Each key has five
bumps on it that are cut to different levels. These levels are designated by numbers. A
low cut is one, next up is two, then three. In many cases, there are only four levels,
though some manufacturers may use as many as seven. A five-tumbler key lock with
four levels in the key yields four to the fifth power, or 1024, different possible
combinations of ridges in the key. The five ridges are listed by the height of each
level, yielding what is called the combination for the key. A key with the combination
12341 is cut with the first ridge at level one, the second at two, the next at three, and
 so on. The lock manufacturer chooses the combinations from a random list and cuts
each key differently.

Internal mechanisms

 The internal mechanisms are made next. These have been designed to fit this
particular lock order, and the machinery that makes them may have to be re-tooled
or reset. Because the tiny interior parts, specifically the pins, must be manufactured
to exceedingly fine tolerances, the machinists may make a trial run before starting a
big job. Then the machines may be re-set if necessary. The machining of small brass
parts takes many steps. They may be cast, then grooved, ridged, jeweled, and
polished. Precision tools handle these jobs, cutting the metal to within tolerances of
plus or minus 0.001 of an inch.

Other parts

 The manufacturer also makes the other parts of the lock. The cylinder, or plug, that
the key fits into, guard plates, washers, the bolt or cam, and the casing, are all made
according to design specifications, by die-casting and then further machining. The
number of parts varies with the design of the lock, but even a small and relatively
simple lock may have thirty separate parts, and some of these parts require multiple
toolings. The process of making the lock components can take several weeks.

Assembly

When all the parts are ready, the locks are assembled by hand. Lock workers sit at
well-lit tables with a kit of the pieces of the lock in a bin, and the key on a stand in
front of them. An experienced worker can tell the combination of the key just by
looking at it. The worker first fills the plug, or cylinder, of the lock with the pins that
correspond to the combination of the key. The worker inserts a tiny spring and then
the lock pin, using a small tool called an assembly pick to hold the small parts. The
assembly pick has a small screwdriver on one end and a point on the other, and the
worker uses it to prod the delicate parts in where they belong. Once the plug is filled
according to the key combination, the worker snaps or screws together the other
parts around the lock. Though it is skilled work, it takes no special training, and these
workers are not locksmiths.
Final steps

 Once a lock is fully assembled, the worker checks it with the key to make sure it
works. It may pass to a quality control station at this point, and then be dusted or
polished. Workers package the completed locks and box them for shipment.

Cross section of a typical lock.

Raw Materials

A typical combination lock of the padlock variety has twenty component parts,
generally made of stainless steel or cold-rolled steel that is plated or coated to
resist corrosion. Combination locks are constructed to last a lifetime, and their parts
are not intended to require repair or replacement. In addition to steel, two other raw
materials are essential to the combination lock. Nylon is used for the spacers that
separate the discs, enabling them to turn independently, while zamak, a zinc alloy, is
molded under pressure to form the bar, shaft, and outside dial.
The various components in a combination lock are made in a variety of ways. Some
components, such as those made from zamak, are injection molded—the zamak is heated to a
molten state and forced into a mold of the desired shape. Other components, such as the
combination cam and disc, are cold rolled—passed between heavy rollers. Still other
components are drawn or machined to the proper shape. Most of the components are then
plated and finished to protect against corrosion.

Design

A combination lock's parts can be divided into two categories: internal and external
components. Excepting the springs when extended, none of the internal parts exceed
two inches (5.08 centimeters) in length. The internal works of the locking
mechanism comprise the lever and supporting lever post and a disc shaft about
which disc spacers and the combination disc turn. Two, three, or four combination
discs are the key precision elements of the mechanism, but it is the combination cam,
a notched disc, that generates the combination for the lock mechanism. The cam is
also attached to the outside combination dial that is turned by the lock's user. The
internal disc spring supports the combination discs under tension, enabling the
combination to be dialed. Other internal components in the lock case include a
shackle collar that holds the shackle (the U-shaped component that detaches from
the case when the lock has been opened) in the locked position with a latch that fits
into the shackle notch. An inner case encloses all internal parts and gives the lock
body housing strength. External parts include the lock's outer case, the shackle, a
back cover, and the combination dial.

The Manufacturing 
Process

The twenty component parts of the typical combination lock are formed, drawn, cut,
pressed, and molded on a variety of machines, both manual and automatic.

Making the internal components

 The lever, locking latch, and disc shaft are all made by injection molding, a process in
which molten zamak is poured into a mold and subjected to heat and pressure until it
solidifies into the shape of the mold. Although the post is shaped at room
temperature, it is also formed under high pressure.

A fully constructed combination lock. It is the combination cam, a notched disc, that
generates the combination for the lock mechanism. Combination locks are built to
last a lifetime, and their ports are not intended to require repair or replacement.
 The combination disc and the cam are made of cold-rolled—passed under
huge rolls without being heated—flat strip steel; after being cold rolled, the
steel is put in a blanking die, a sophisticated cookie cutter, which cuts (or
blanks) out the properly shaped piece. The internal disc spring is made from
stainless steel round wire and produced on a spring winder that automatically
twists and turns the wire to form the traditional coil spring. The shackle collar,
like the combination disc and cam, is made from cold-rolled flat strip steel
that is blanked in a blanking die. The inner case is produced from flat steel
strip and drawn to a cup configuration. This process requires great pressure to
stretch and compress the material as it is pressed or drawn around a die,
whose shape it takes.

Making the outer parts

 2 The outer case is manufactured similarly to the inner case but from stainless steel
sheet instead of strip. The back cover, also stainless steel, is blanked in a blanking die.
The durable shackle is made of round bar stock and machined on a screw machine,
then formed to its U-shape and notched to accept the locking latch. It is finally
annealed (heated to great temperature before being quenched in water) to make it
resistant to hacksaws and bolt cutters. The combination dial, also zamak, is injection
molded, then chromized. This process involves heating the part in a salt bath rich in
chromium. The steel absorbs the chromium, which hardens on the surface as it cools
rapidly. The dial is painted black and white wiped, which leaves the numbers
highlighted against the black face.

Plating the components

 Several plating and finishing processes can be used to protect the components against
corrosion. The lever, disc shaft, combination cam, and dial are chromized. The inner
case, shackle collar, and lever post are all cadmium-plated. The shackle and locking
latch are copper nickel-plated. The outer case, of stainless steel, is mechanically
polished to enhance luster.

Assembling the lock

 Assembly of the components is precise with the back plate disc shaft, combination
cam, and spacers forming one subassembly. The outer and inner cases are riveted
 together and then pierced at the point where the shackle is inserted. The combination
dial, outer and inner case unit, and combination cam are then fastened together.
Finally, these sub-assemblies and the remaining parts are fitted together. The lock
case is closed and the edges folded over and sealed. Conventional hardware fasteners
that can be released with the proper tool are not used.

Labeling and packaging

 The remaining operation is the application of a removable tag or label to the lock. On
this tag is the combination, determined randomly by machine draw. Lock
manufacturers today jealously guard their combination setting procedures. A typical
combination lock is sold in blister pack, a rigid molded plastic with cardboard
backing, although locks may also be individually boxed.