TMM Volume 22 Issue 11

We propose a new blind watermarking algorithm for 3D printed objects that has applications in metadata embedding, robotic grasping, counterfeit prevention, and crime investigation. Our method can be used on fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers and works by modifying the printed layer thickness on small patches of the surface of an object. These patches can be applied to multiple regions of the object, thereby making it resistant to various attacks such as cropping, local deformation, local surface degradation, or printing errors.