Safety pin for button badges
ZecurePIN is a safety pin developed for button badges. It combines the stable structure of the Z-pin with a cap that covers the needle tip, so a badge can be put on and taken off with one hand, without having to watch the needle tip.
A safety pin is “safe” because its tip is covered by a cap when it is closed. But putting a safety pin on a button badge does not, by itself, make the badge safe.
Button badges are widely made as character merchandise, and more and more young children wear them. Because a badge carries a sharp needle, we believe safety has to be considered not only while the pin is closed, but also while the badge is being put on and taken off.
Only with both can it be called a safe button badge.
That is where ZecurePIN starts.
ZecurePIN® is a safety pin made specifically for button badges, developed by Beck Co., Ltd.
Button badges have long used the “Z-pin” (double-hook pin). Its wire is bent into a Z shape and held inside the back part, so the pin stays upright on the badge and the needle is easy to open and close. Its weakness is that the needle tip remains exposed even when the pin is closed.
ZecurePIN keeps the Z-pin’s stable structure and adds a cap over the needle tip. One pin gives you both easy opening and closing and a covered tip when closed.
How ZecurePIN is held inside a button badge. Drag to rotate, and choose a step to switch the view.
Your browser cannot display the 3D model, so images are shown instead.
From the back of the badge, the needle tip sits inside the cap. Like a regular safety pin, the tip stays covered when closed.
Film, printed paper, shell, back part, and ZecurePIN. Badges are made the same way as a standard badge.
The Z-shaped wire is clamped between the shell and the back part. It keeps a little play, while the pin stays upright and stable.
There is no need to pinch the cap, so your fingers stay away from the needle tip. The pin stays upright, so you can open and close it with one hand.
Other companies also make button badges with safety pins. Most of them hold an off-the-shelf safety pin with tabs on the back part. With that design, putting the badge on and taking it off remains a concern.
| ZecurePIN | Safety-pin type (typical of other makers) | Z-pin (double-hook pin) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Needle tip when closed | Covered by the cap | Covered by the cap | Exposed |
| Stability of the pin | Stands on its own and stays upright | Tends to tip over unless pushed from one specific direction | Stands on its own and stays upright |
| Opening and closing | One hand | Needs two hands; the finger on the cap comes close to the tip | One hand |
| How it is fixed | Z-shaped wire clamped between the shell and the back part | Safety pin held by tabs on the back part | Z-shaped wire clamped between the shell and the back part |
How is ZecurePIN rated by people outside our company? We asked parents of children of elementary-school age or younger to use two types of button badge at home and compare their safety and ease of use.
Percentages combine “P” and “Leaning P” (and likewise for Q).
In all four questions about safety and ease of use (Q1, Q2, Q4 and Q5), more than 70% chose the badge with ZecurePIN.
In Q3, on how easily the badge comes off, “Neither” was the most common answer, and the rest split evenly at 29% each. Making the badge easier to put on and take off did not make it more likely to come off.
| Question | P | Leaning P | Neither | Leaning Q | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 Which pin can you release from the cap easily, without worrying about the needle tip? | 64 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 11 |
| Q2 Which is easier to attach exactly where you want on clothing? | 62 | 20 | 9 | 8 | 11 |
| Q3 While wearing it, which feels more likely to come off when pushed or pulled? | 13 | 19 | 46 | 22 | 10 |
| Q4 If you were using it yourself, which feels safer? | 61 | 26 | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Q5 If an elementary-school child were using it, which feels safer? | 57 | 26 | 5 | 12 | 10 |
| M | L | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall length | approx. 25 mm | approx. 33 mm |
| Wire diameter | approx. 0.7 mm | approx. 1 mm |
| Material | Steel (nickel-plated) | Steel (nickel-plated) |
| Made in | Japan | Japan |
| Sold in | 50 / 250 / 1,000 pcs | 50 / 250 / 1,000 pcs |
| Pin | Round | Other shapes |
|---|---|---|
| M | 38 mm, 44 mm |
|
| L | 57 mm, 76 mm, 100 mm, 152 mm |
|
| S Planned (date TBD) | 32 mm |
|
Made with BADGE-MAN.NET badge machines and pinless back parts. There is no need to replace your machine for ZecurePIN.
A safety pin developed for button badges. It combines the stable structure of the Z-pin (double-hook pin) with a cap that covers the needle tip, so the badge is easy to put on and take off and the tip is covered when the pin is closed.
Typical products hold an off-the-shelf safety pin with tabs on the back part, so the pin tips over easily and opening and closing it takes two hands. With ZecurePIN, the Z-shaped wire is clamped inside the badge, so the pin stays upright and can be opened and closed with one hand, without pinching the cap.
The basic structure is the same, with a cap added over the needle tip. On a Z-pin the tip is exposed even when closed; on ZecurePIN it sits inside the cap. The parts and the way badges are made are the same as with a Z-pin.
Size M fits 38 mm and 44 mm round badges and 40 mm square badges. Size L fits round badges from 57 mm to 152 mm, as well as octagonal, oval, rectangular and rounded-rectangle badges. See the size chart for details.
BADGE-MAN.NET badge machines and pinless back parts. There is no need to replace your machine for ZecurePIN, and badges are made the same way as a standard badge. We do not guarantee operation in combination with machines or parts from other makers.
In a survey of 110 parents, answers on which badge feels more likely to come off clothing showed no difference between the badge with ZecurePIN and another maker’s safety-pin badge (29% chose each).
We asked 110 parents of children of elementary-school age or younger to use a badge with ZecurePIN and another maker’s safety-pin badge at home. 75% answered that, if a child were using it, the badge with ZecurePIN feels safer.
From our online shop, BADGE-MAN.NET. It is sold in quantities of 50 and 250; orders of 1,000 or more are placed in units of 1,000.
Yes. BADGE-MAN.NET ships internationally. Delivery may not be available to some countries or regions, so please check the shop’s shipping information.
Japan is a country with a very high awareness of safety. Major clients set strict standards for safety and quality, and many businesses struggle to meet them.
We developed ZecurePIN® to help those businesses, and to show the world what a Japanese safety pin can do.
We hope ZecurePIN will help us grow the button badge industry together with you.
ZecurePIN is available at BADGE-MAN.NET in quantities from 50.
