Scientists develop 3D printing “fingerprints” to protect intellectual property

China3D printingNet, April 27, researchers at the University of Buffalo have developed a method that is only used to create FDM 3D printingThe method of the extruder of the part to track its origin.
According to the team, each3D printingThe hot end of the machine has unique thermodynamic characteristics, which affect the way the parts are manufactured. Scientists say that by collecting these unique fingerprints or “hot tags” databases, it is possible in the future to better help intellectual property (IP) holders to prevent the duplication of their novel designs.

“What is the best way to protect our IP from others using their own printers to print the same design?” said Zhan Zhanpeng, an associate professor at the University of Buffalo. “We want to find something inside. The ThermoTag behaves like3D printingThe fingerprint of the machine is the same, when you print out a new product, you can use the watermark[以防止专利侵权]. “


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The hot-end setting is carried out on the machine” alt=”Researchers are in Prusa i3
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The hot end is set on the machine” width=”620″ height=”472″ />

Researchers at Prusa i3 3D printingThe hot-end setting was performed on the machine.The picture comes from the journal “Information Forensics and Security Affairs”.


Introduce hot IP protection

In the past decade, desktop computers3D printingMachine prices are getting higher and higher, which makes in-house manufacturing, rapid prototyping and enhanced part customization features more accessible than ever. However, the openness of the technology also makes it relatively easy to download CAD files and copy patented designs without the owner’s consent.

In the past, patent holders have adopted physically unclonable functions (PUF) in their products to make their IP physically identifiable. Such PUFs (including textures, patterns and marking agents) are difficult to replicate, but they also increase the complexity of the manufacturing process, which may increase the cost of parts.

Adding a watermark is a similarly complex task, and since the process is usually performed manually, its efficiency is limited in mass production. Moreover, if malicious forces want to decode the system behind the company’s watermark, they can even use it to decrypt the systems of other products, thereby increasing potential security risks.
To overcome these shortcomings, the Buffalo team has now developed a new method that can identify the unique thermal characteristics behind each system’s extruder during the preheating process and integrate them into the 3D model. After the printing is completed, the generated parts will have a hidden watermark, which can detect any counterfeit products, and these counterfeit products cannot be copied without the access rights of the original system.


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“Fingerprint” method” alt=”Experimental hot spots are used to develop its
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“Fingerprint” method” width=”620″ height=”400″ />

Experimental hotspots are used to develop its3D printing“Fingerprint” method. The picture comes from the journal “Information Forensics and Security Affairs”.

Find3D printing“Fingerprints”

To calibrate their fingerprint recognition process, the scientists measured the temperature change rate and thermal diffusivity of 45 different extruders during the preheating process. Considering that factors such as hardware, materials, and defects can lead to unique heat conduction processes, the research team found that each hot end has unique thermal characteristics, with an accuracy rate of about 92%.
Using Lulzbot Mini, Prusa i3 HICTOP and Ultimaker 2 Go, the team demonstrated the impact of the machine model on the thermal performance of its hot end by producing five sets of identical parts with unique thermal variations. After proving the effectiveness of this method, the researchers began to program the automatic encoder, which automatically extracts key features from the temperature profile of each machine.

By absorbing a large amount of thermal data, the team’s algorithm can finally distinguish the warm-up behavior of different hot-end configurations and generate a one-time identifiable watermark. In an experiment, the team can even partially modify the thickness of each printed layer and add binary numbers to the parts to spell out an ISBN10 checksum.

Although scientists were eventually able to embed and decode their own “Thertags” into printed parts, they admitted that their methods were still vulnerable to hacker attacks.As a result, they are now developing a blind watermarking process that can create more obscure3D printingFingerprints and deploy them as an ultra-secure anti-counterfeiting measure.

Intellectual property disputes

In the past few years, about3D printingDiscussions on patent enforcement are becoming more and more intense, and many companies are seeking to better protect their IP. Many of these concerns were clearly reflected in the European Commission report released last year, which identified the industry’s intellectual property challenges and proposed changes that could make the industry more competitive.

Similarly, in January 2019, the British Intellectual Property Office (IPO) 3D printingAnd Intellectual Property”. In a project called “3DPIP Futures”, the organization found that there was an urgent need for intellectual property regulatory reforms, but it did urge public institutions to communicate more clearly with companies to clarify how existing laws Used in the industry.

Elsewhere, researchers at the University of Exeter and Durham University have warned that in the future3D printingWatermarks may threaten people’s privacy. In a paper questioned by Sharon Flank of InfraTrac, the team found that the VR interface can provide a means for hostile actors to monitor people’s movements.

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