Here is a clip of cutting a car key. This is a VW T5 Transporter key. If you’ve lost your key, there clearly isn’t a key to copy. If you don’t have the keycard, we can use special tools to decode the lock. We then send these settings to a computerised CNC cutting machine to cut the key.
https://www.facebook.com/RossDeanLocksmiths/videos/1499651670093627/
The type of key cutting machine we use cuts a new key to code i.e. to the exact depths and measurements that it came new. A typical high street shop key machine is a trace cutter, that effectively just gives you another worn key that looks shiny.
Using a CNC machine means an auto locksmith can cut you a key even you don’t have a key to copy. There are several methods they can use to figure out how the missing key should be cut.