Figure 1. Finnish mechanic Emil Henrikkson invented the Abloy rotating disc cylinder in 1907. Figure 2. An old Abloy cylinder with key is shown. Figure 3. The rotating discs are ready for key insertion. grow in sophistication, especially with regard to critical infrastructure. Wher- ever high security is a requirement, Abloy Protec2 may be used, especially within sensitive applications or those located in exposed locations. Keep in mind that many utilities, pub- lic institutions, industrial enterprises and businesses must deliver their services 24/7. Any break or interruption in some services can cause a severe challenge to security, a costly loss of revenue, a break in health and safety and a ruined reputa- tion. This includes colleges, universities, hospitals, government, utilities, defense industries, transportation, oil and gas, nuclear power plants, gaming venues, chemical factories and vending applica- tions. Not only must the cylinder provide physical security, but it oſten must con- tinually withstand the harshest of ele- WWW.ALOA.ORG ments without a decline in performance or reliability, ensuring lasting security in the heat and cold, wet environments and anywhere else a facility and its requisite equipment are located. Abloy Protec2 is available in most lock formats, including, mortise, rim, KIL, KIK, cam, padlock, deadbolt, interchange- able core retrofits for Yale and Schlage, cabinet, switch, safety deposit, coin oper- ated, auxiliary, electronic and CLIQ. Let’s now take a look at the construc- tion and operation of the Abloy Protec2 cylinder for a clearer understanding of the components and how they work together. Basic Operating Principle Within an Abloy Protec2 cylinder, the key meets virtually no resistance when inserted into the keyway. There are no spring-loaded parts to wear out. Only the correct key rotated a quarter turn (clock- wise or counterclockwise) will align the locking bar gates on all the discs. Once the discs are aligned into the correct position — allowing the locking bar to fall into the groove and disengage the drum from the cylinder housing — the key and cylinder can then be turned further to open the lock. Then, the key can be turned back to the starting posi- tion and be removed from the keyway. The combination is automatically scrambled by the two return bars. Un- less this scrambling occurs, the key cannot be removed. This feature en- sures that the cylinder doesn’t remain unlocked after the key is removed. So, there it is in a nutshell. But the construction of this unique cylinder needs further investigation, so let’s dig right in. MAY 2020 KEYNOTES 37
