# US 10,872,177 B2 · Embedded security elements for digital models used in additive manufacturing

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- Number: US 10,872,177 B2
- Document ID: US10872177B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/710,723
- Filed: 2017-09-20
- Published: 2018-03-22
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2016-09-21
- Assignees: New York University
- Applicants: New York University
- Inventors: Nikhil Gupta
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872177B2

## CPC

- G06F 30/10: Geometric CAD
- B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- B33Y 50/00: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- G06F 30/00: Computer-aided design [CAD]
- H04N 1/00838: {Preventing unauthorised reproduction}
- G06F 2113/10: Additive manufacturing, e.g. three-dimensional [3D] printing
- G06F 2119/18: Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
- Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A method for securing a computer-aided design (CAD)-based shape to prevent shape counterfeiting by unauthorized three-dimensional (3D) printing includes creating and embedding a security element in the CAD-based shape itself. In some embodiments, the method includes splitting (slicing) a first solid of a three-dimensional 3D model into at least two parts, such that the 3D model comprises at least two distinct solids. The shape of the distinct solid(s) may be specified by a plurality of curved surfaces, which are defined by performing a finite element analysis on the CAD-based shape to determine an optimal shape for each curved surface. The method further includes converting the 3D model to a digital surface geometry schema according to a first resolution. The digital surface geometry schema describes the surface geometry of the at least two distinct solids. The first resolution is part of the security controls of the CAD-based shape. The first resolution may be selected based on a shape of the split of the first solid, a location of the split of the first solid, a 3D printer type, an anticipated horizontal print direction, an anticipated vertical print direction, an anticipated slicer software scheme, an anticipated slice thickness, and/or an anticipated slice location.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
digitally splitting a first solid of a three-dimensional (3D) model into at least two parts, such that the 3D model comprises at least two distinct solids;
digitally displacing at least one of the at least two distinct solids from starting coordinates and according to predetermined displacement coordinates in a coordinate system of the 3D model, comprising:
spatially separating the at least two distinct solids according to the predetermined displacement coordinates; and
generating a gap between the at least two distinct solids, the gap defined by the predetermined displacement coordinates; and
converting the 3D model to a digital surface geometry schema according to a first resolution, wherein the digital surface geometry schema describes surface geometry of the at least two distinct solids digitally displaced according to the predetermined coordinates, wherein the digital surface geometry schema comprises the gap such that the starting coordinates are not determinable based on the digital surface geometry schema.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the digital surface geometry schema is a stereolithography (STL) model type.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the digital surface geometry schema comprises at least one triangulated surface.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising submitting the digital surface geometry schema to a cloud server device for storage.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the splitting of the first solid is along a straight plane.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the splitting of the first solid is along a curved plane.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a location and a shape of the splitting of the first solid based at least in part on a parameter selected from the group consisting of: the first resolution, a 3D printer type, an anticipated horizontal print direction, an anticipated vertical print direction, an anticipated slicer software scheme, an anticipated slice thickness, and an anticipated slice location.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the first resolution from a plurality of available resolutions based at least in part on a parameter selected from the group consisting of: a shape of the split of the first solid, a location of the split of the first solid, a 3D printer type, an anticipated horizontal print direction, an anticipated vertical print direction, an anticipated slicer software scheme, an anticipated slice thickness, and an anticipated slice location.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
importing the digital surface geometry schema; and
knitting surfaces of the at least two distinct solids together to form a second solid that approximates the first solid prior to the first solid being split into at least two parts.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein, after knitting the surfaces of the at least two distinct solids together, the gap is eliminated.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein, after knitting the surfaces of the at least two distinct solids together, the gap in the surfaces corresponding to at least part of where the first solid was split remains in the digital surface geometry schema at least in part.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising specifying a 3D printer for printing and the printing conditions of the second solid such that the at least one gap does not substantially affect the quality of the printing of the second solid.

### Claim 13 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising:
deleting, after importing the digital surface geometry schema, a plurality of surface geometry sections that are in the same plane; and
inserting, before knitting the surfaces of the at least two distinct solids together, a planar surface to replace the deleted plurality of surface geometry sections.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, further comprising displacing the two parts after splitting the first solid.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising moving, after importing the digital surface geometry schema and before knitting the surfaces of the at least two distinct solids together, the two parts to remove the gap.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the gap is located where the first solid was split.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
embedding a shape in a first solid of the 3D model to yield a third solid, wherein the first solid is one of the at least two distinct solids.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising printing the third solid.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the embedded shape represents a security element embedded into the 3D model.