Keep People Out with This 3D Printed Door Lock

When desktop 3D printing first began to catch on, the internet was filled with designs that I like to refer to as “useless pieces of garbage.” These were boring designs that people created and flooded sites like Thingiverse, YouMagine, and 3DShare with. The reason for this was because designers were just beginning to get their feet wet when it came to 3D modeling for 3D printing. They simply wanted to prove that they could create an object from scratch, and they didn’t care how boring or mundane it was.

Now that these designers have gained plenty of experience in the field, we are beginning to see some truly incredible creations come to fruition via desktop 3D printers. Those “useless pieces of garbage” are beginning to be replaced more and more by fascinating, artful, and practical designs; things we actually have a purpose for printing.

For one man, living in Barcelona, Spain, named Carles Oriol, 3D printing was one of his most proud discoveries. He only began using the technology back in December of 2014, but he has already created many fascinating objects. His latest 3D design is one which could be used by just about anyone: a simple door lock. While it is a very simple idea and an age-old design, it is a perfect example of how designers are evolving with the technology.

Instead of running out to the local hardware store to purchase a new lock for his door, Oriol instead decided to 3D print his very own.

“I got the size from the original lock and cloned it,” Oriol tells 3DPrint.com.

At first he was going to use OpenSCAD to model the lock, but then decided that he would instead use Blender so that he could have “some fun redering it.” The design process took him approximately one hour to complete. Once the lock was finished being modeled, Oriol 3D printed the 6 separate parts on his Prusa i3 Hephestos 3D printer, all in one single print.

After the print was complete, he carefully removed the objects from the print bed, and then assembled them together, before putting the lock to use on his door. While the lock is pretty sturdy, he doesn’t recommend using it for an exterior door, in that a strong kick could easily bust it open. He plans on using these for his interior doors such as bathrooms and bedrooms, which are in need of a simple locking mechanism. He does, however, say that if it is scaled up it might actually be strong enough to use on other doors.

For those of you who are interested in printing this design yourself, you can download the files for free from Thingiverse and give it a try. What do you think of Oriol’s design? Would you consider using it on doors in your house? Discuss in the 3D printed door lock forum thread on 3DPB.com.