

Keys may also be made in this fashion without an original as long as the depth of each notch and the type of key blank are known. However, keys made in this fashion have clean margins and the depth of the notches are not subject to wear induced changes encountered when heavily worn keys are duplicated using a pattern grinder. This cycle is continued until the key is complete.ĭuplicating keys by this process is more labor intense and requires somewhat better trained personnel. As the lever is raised the key automatically advances to the next indexed position and the slider is adjusted appropriately to the next measured depth. The slider is adjusted to match the corresponding measured depth and a lever is depressed, which cuts the entire notch at once. The key to be duplicated is measured for the depth of each notch with a gauge and then placed into a device with a numeric slider. Rather than using a pattern grinder to remove metal, keys may also be duplicated with a punch machine (the Curtis key clipper is a recognised example). However, very few will carry a laser key cutting machine, which is sometimes needed to cut high security keys.Ĭertain keys are designed to be difficult to copy, for key control, such as Medeco while others are simply stamped "Do Not Duplicate" to advise that key control is requested, but in the US, this disclaimer has no legal weight. The key duplication machine will be able to cut both cylinder and mortise keys, as these are the most popular types of keys in circulation. In the UK, the majority of the mobile locksmiths will have a dual key cutting machine on their van. More recently, online services for duplicating keys have become available.

Key duplication is available in many retail hardware stores and as a service of the specialized locksmith, though the correct key blank may not be available. After cutting, the new key is deburred: scrubbed with a wire brush, either built into the machine, or in a bench grinder, to remove burrs which, were they not removed, would be dangerously sharp and, further, foul locks.ĭifferent key cutting machines are more or less automated, using different milling or grinding equipment, and follow the design of early 20th century key duplicators. Key cutting (after cutting, the metalworking term for "shaping by removing material") is the primary method of key duplication: a flat key is fitted into a vise in a machine, with a blank attached to a parallel vise, and the original key is moved along a guide, while the blank is moved against a blade, which cuts it. Key duplication refers to the process of creating a key based on an existing key.
KEY DUPLICATE PROFESSIONAL
Process of advanced security key copying on professional duplicator.
