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  1. #31
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Munich area, Bavaria, Germany
    Posts
    45
    Country: Germany

    Default

    Didn't get this working yet, but making some progress...

    After about 3 weeks of Shapeways processing and shipping time, the first batch arrived.
    I had them make two blanks and two cut keys, from different materials each, see 1st attached picture:
    The keys are arranged like this:
    1 2
    ..... 3
    4 5

    1: A cut key from "White Strong & Flexible" (3D printed plastic material: https://www.shapeways.com/materials/...exible-plastic )
    2: A cut key from "Polished Bronze Steel" (3D printed stainless steel powder, then bronze infused: https://www.shapeways.com/materials/steel )
    3: the original - broken - Norman key
    4: A blank from "Frosted Ultra Detail" (3D printed acrylic plastic: https://www.shapeways.com/materials/...detail-plastic )
    5: A blank from "Polished Metallic Plastic" ("Alumide", 3D printed nylon plastic with aluminum dust: https://www.shapeways.com/materials/metallic-plastic )

    Out of these 5 materials, only 4 ("frosted ultra detail") fits through the Norman lock front profile cap, as designed and printed. The other two plastic materials needed force to push through the profile cap, so that some extra plastic material was cut away. The steel key material doesn't allow for that obviously, and needs some manual modification -> looks like I have to make the CAD design of the blank a bit thinner / one of the warding grooves a bit wider.

    Also, my computer-generated CAD bitting isn't working yet, either: See the 2nd and 3rd of the attached pictures.
    The 2nd picture shows the old original Norman key in the disk stack; an allen key goes through the holes where the balls should align, so that this disk stack is perfectly aligned. You can see that this old original key doesn't guide the disks properly - that's why not all of the balls are aligned with that key.
    The 3rd picture shows my bitting on the "Polished Bronze Steel" 3D printed key: Neither does this new key guide the disks properly - it's not yet "tight-fitting" - nor is the allen key parallel to the central axis -> my assumptions about the bitting were a bit off.

    But in general, this looks quite promising to me, and definitely it's very interesting to experiment with CAD design and this 3D printing stuff.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 1st Shapeways order.JPG   original key.JPG   bad bitting.JPG  

  2. #32
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Seattle WA
    Posts
    1,327
    Country: United States

    Default

    You have something closer that anyone else so far... other than BBE. Being he has uncut blanks I wonder if a scan would help....

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Munich area, Bavaria, Germany
    Posts
    45
    Country: Germany

    Default

    A high resolution scan would certainly help; for now I printed the photographs and used that to make assumptions about the tips of the keys.
    Also, a cut key next to a blank would help to understand how the cuts in the area close to the tip were designed.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Munich area, Bavaria, Germany
    Posts
    45
    Country: Germany

    Default 2nd Shapeways order

    This is the 2nd attempt, I ordered it in the "Frosted Ultra Detail" material only, so I hope Shapeways will make this a bit faster.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Norman Key 2nd try.jpg  

  5. #35

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mhmh View Post
    A high resolution scan would certainly help; for now I printed the photographs and used that to make assumptions about the tips of the keys.
    Also, a cut key next to a blank would help to understand how the cuts in the area close to the tip were designed.
    Sorry for the delay. I a trying to attach a PDF of the blanks next to a cut key, both sides. Since it is a PDF you can enlarge the images without loosing quality. Hope that helps.
    BBE.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Norman.jpg  

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Munich area, Bavaria, Germany
    Posts
    45
    Country: Germany

    Default Different versions of blanks?

    Thank you very much, BBE!

    This helps a lot, because at the scanner glass level, all the dimensions match exactly.

    If you look closely at the two marked areas in the attached picture, there seem to exist small differences between the left blank and the right key.

    Cheers
    mh
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Noman Blank and Key comparison.jpg  

  7. #37

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mhmh View Post
    Thank you very much, BBE!

    This helps a lot, because at the scanner glass level, all the dimensions match exactly.

    If you look closely at the two marked areas in the attached picture, there seem to exist small differences between the left blank and the right key.

    Cheers
    mh
    Yes, all of my blanks show that difference.

    I seems that all of the cut keys have been flattened a little on the one side and ground a little on the round side. Isn't the front of the plug sintered? Maybe he just didn't want to remake the zinc die for the keys.
    BBE.

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Munich area, Bavaria, Germany
    Posts
    45
    Country: Germany

    Default Finally got a working key.

    This time I got the bitting right.
    To make the key work smoothly however required a lot of hand filing.
    Not sure if this was due to the fact that I ordered "unpolished" plain stainless steel from Shapeways this time. The "polished" bronze steel I ordered previously needed nearly no hand filing in comparison.
    I guess the Shapeways process is not ideal for precision parts in the first place - but then again, where else would you get such single part made for 20$.

    Cheers
    mh
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Key in Cutaway Lock, Key Side.JPG   Key in Cutaway Lock, Balls Side.JPG   Key and Cutaway Lock (small).JPG   It works!.JPG  

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Posts
    68
    Country: United States

    Default norman lock cylinder

    Why wasn't this lock commercially successful?
    Thanks

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