Watermarking for Fused Deposition Modeling by Seam Placement

Abstract

With the increased usage and application of 3D-printing or Additive Manufacturing (AM) the question arises of how content providers or creators can ensure their intellectual property on such model data. Similar to other digital media such object information that is represented in a number of file formats is easy to copy and reproduce lossless. This research contributes by a proposition of a watermarking schema for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) type 3D-printers. This system embeds information into the 3D-printed object without alterations to the structure or geometry by altering the entry points of each layer in a specific manner. With such a watermarking schema employed objects can be embedded with additional information such as a serial number or other traceable information.