KEYnote 38 English - Fall 2019 | Page 10

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