What's New

August 15, 2019

Cam Lock Application and Features

Eberhard is proud to be one of the foremost manufacturers and suppliers of high-security access solutions, like cam locks, in the world for the past several decades. 

But wait, you're telling us you don't know what a cam lock is? We're calling your bluff! Odds are if you ever had to open a cabinet, desk, vending machine, or other locked piece of furniture: you have interacted with a cam lock! Take a look at our video here to see an example of one in use:




Okay so, you get it now. As a system, while pretty complex when you take a look at the diagrams, cam locks boil down to a lock, key, metal housing in the middle, and tail-end plate piece that swings up and down, which is called the CAM.

Cam locks come in a variety of shapes, sizes, finishes, and designs for specific purposes. As mentioned above, some of the most classic usages pertain to furniture, but not exclusively. You can install cam locks on/in office filing cabinets, desk drawers, medicine cabinets, access panels, storage boxes, gun racks, cash boxes, and even some glove compartments of cars rely on cam locks to stay locked for your security and privacy!

Cam locks can be made to be keyed alike (so all locks in a set can be opened with one key), keyed differently (different lock, different key), be keyless, or utilize a dial combination too. 

Eberhard also offers product lines of cam locks that are UL and IP rated. These locks have vigorous testing done to them by outside agencies that hand down security ratings, and they meet specific industry-wide standards. Primarily these locks stand up against certain measurable levels of abuse and/or seal out fluids and foreign bodies more efficiently, the higher that they are rated.

For example, there are cam locks that can be fire, water, or dust resistant, up to certain levels. You might not want to use the same cam lock to secure items that can survive some moisture, such as jewelry, versus some that cannot, like a valuable stamp collection.

There are also cam locks that are less prone to be broken into by burglars and are rated accordingly. These ratings take into consideration the means of robbery a thief could be using, such as hand tools, a drill, or fire, as well as their level of expertise and amount of time they could take to break the lock. An amateur burglar might need 15 minutes with rudimentary tools to break lower-rated locks but may need more time, expertise, and better tools to access a higher-rated one. So on, and so forth.

But enough about burglars and dust bunnies stealing or ruining your property! Just know that cam locks, while common, are one of the most trusted and efficient, means of keeping your stuff secure, even to this day.