Science & technology | Locksmithing

A 3D-printed key that can’t be copied

New technology for high-security locks

Hidden depths

KEYS have been around for a long time. The earliest, made from wood, date back 4,000 years, to the ancient Egyptians. The Romans improved them a bit by making them from metal. But there, more or less, they have stayed. Electronic card-keys aside, a key is still, basically, a piece of metal sporting a series of grooves, teeth and indentations which, when inserted into a keyway, line up to move pins and levers to lock or unlock a mechanism.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Forging the unforgeable”

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