S E C U R I T Y
IP Protection in Additive
Manufacturing
3D printing has morphed over time from a plaything for elite nerds to a viable technology for the future of industry. Companies
now have the ability to print components in a wide range of materials on-demand when and where they need them. Numerous
international brands have begun to offer devices for the additive manufacturing of e.g. prototypes or spare parts. Even though
the printing process itself is deceptively simple, it is an extreme feat of technological innovation, and it remains quite a costly
proposition. But as has always been the case with groundbreaking technologies, time will overcome these growing pains and
establish 3D printing as a regular part of the industrial experience.
CAD
Software
CAD
file
OEM
Software
3D
file
Producer/Designer
Where are we heading?
The vision pursued by many manufacturing
businesses is the ability to produce third-party
components right in their own factories in order
to respond flexibly to demand in the market,
without having to go through their complex
supply chains. Ignoring the technological chal-
lenge for a minute, this poses another important
10
OEM
Software
Prepress
issue that needs to be considered from the
outset: Who is allowed to access the designs –
when, where, and how often? A system is
needed to protect the underlying data and to
monetize the act of printing a third-party design.
Who is involved?
Following the chain from the digital design of
Print
job
Printer
Printer
an object to the eventual finished product,
there are several independent, but interlocked
actors who all have a stake in the process. The
very first player is the object’s designer who
has created a 3D blueprint of the piece (e.g.
a chair armrest) with a specialized software
tool. He would be interested in protecting
his blueprints from theft and in having some