Oct.31, 2011

One thing we all have is key. Key to home, key to office, key to your private drawers. One thing happens at least once in our life is that we lose our keys. 

Before, when we lose a key all we can do is to go a local locksmith to get a duplicate key made.

Then someone is trying out his own locksmithing skills at home. That is Nirav Patel

Nirav Patel has a RepRap 3D printer, and his has been used it to duplicate the RepRaps parts, among with other not very useful 3D printed stuff. Now he wants to make keys. 

He bought quite some used locks and latches from eBay for his experiment.


Patel explains how he has done. "Designing the key model was actually pretty straightforward. I measured a key with a ruler and calipers and created an approximate model of it that is reasonably easy to print. I then got pin depth specifications and parametrically differenced them out of the model. To generate new keys, you can just edit the last line of the file and enter in the key code for your key. If the code isn’t written on the key, you can measure the height of each bit and compare to the numbers in the Root Depth column on the aforementioned pin depth site. Perhaps more nefariously, you could implement something like SNEAKEY to generate key codes without physically measuring the key."

Then you need OpenSCAD to edit the .scad file and generate an STL to print out. So, that's it, you get your key in front of you.

On his site you can acturally download SC1 model and KW1 model for locks, since Kwikset KW1 and Schlage SC1 locks are the two most common locks in the US. 

About RepRap

RepRap is a free desktop 3D printer capable of printing plastic objects. RepRap, short for "replicating rapid prototyper" can print most of its own components. That means, you can print stuff for yourself, and you can also print another RepRap for a friend. As an open design, all of the designs produced by the project are released under a free software license, the GNU General Public License.

A RepRap desktop 3D printer costs around $750, while a professional 3D printer costs around $20,000~30,000. And if you print another RepRap out from a existing RepRap printer, your cost is even less.

So, interested in? What are you waiting for? Take an action!

Source: eclecti.cc


Posted in 3D Print Applications

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