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Is this surprising? I'd imagine 3D printing would be capable of replicating the form of nearly any solid object that fits within the bounded volume of a given 3
by w3pm 13y ago
Is this surprising? I'd imagine 3D printing would be capable of replicating the form of nearly any solid object that fits within the bounded volume of a given 3D printer.
- sp332 13y agoI think this is more about acquiring the information. You have to know exactly how tall to make the cuts, where the grooves go, how long it is, etc. It's difficult information to get from a photo, if you don't have prior knowledge of the kind of key you're trying to imitate.
- apendleton 13y agoFor most key brands, though, the possible pin sizes are finite and discrete, so you just have to estimate the height of each pin from the picture and round to the nearest one. It's not that hard.
- Groxx 13y agoWhy wouldn't you have prior knowledge? You presumably know where it goes - just look at the keyhole. Or if not, a single identifiable object in the photo gives you a lot of scale information. I doubt they're as concerned about white-background newspaper-worthy shots like the NY keys, and more about shots at a distance (keys on a table, for instance). edit: http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.sfe?id=791 http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.... for an example
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]
- Groxx 13y agoProbably not likely. There are metal 3D printers (Shapeways, for instance), and IIRC the patents on that tech (laser sintering) are going to expire soon, so there will probably be a big boom in volume and material diversity.
- deleted 13y ago[deleted]