PRINT METHOD USING A THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) PRINTER TO PROVIDE SCANNING PROTECTION FOR PRINTED 3D OBJECTS

A 3D printing method that embeds anti-counterfeiting scanning protection into printed objects, making them difficult to copy with a 3D scanner.

A print method for printing three dimensional (3D) objects that are difficult to copy by use of a 3D scanner and 3D printer. The printer includes a print head with an extrusion nozzle with a heated portion and a print bed with a surface for receiving material extruded from the extrusion nozzle. The printer includes a print material supply spool loaded with an anti-scanning filament. The method includes operating the print head to draw the anti-scanning filament into the heated portion for heating and to extrude the heated filament from the extrusion nozzle to form a 3D object. The printed 3D object includes one or more scan protectedexterior surfaces on at least one element of the 3D object. The scan protected exterior surfaces are either light absorbing or reflect light in unconventional directions. The anti-scanning filament is a plastic mixed with an anti-scanning additive such as a retroreflective material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a 3D printer system during printing operations to provide a scan-protected 3D object with a single print head and a material supply (e.g., a spool loaded with a plastic filament with an anti-scanning additive (or a spool loaded with an anti-scanningfilament) that may be used throughout the printing process or be changed out with a spoolwith conventional plastic filament to print surfaces or object elements without scanning protection);

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram for a method of fabricating or printing a multi-colored 3D object using a filament-based 3D printer such as with use of the system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective top bottom view of a 3D printer of one useful design according to the present description;

FIG. 4 illustrates a 3D object that is printed first using conventional or standard plastic filament without an anti-scanning additive and second using standard plastic filament for portions of the object and an anti-scanning additive for other portions;

FIG. 5 illustrates an output of a 3D scanner operated to scan the 3D object of FIG. 4 when standard plastic filament is used for printing; and

FIG. 6 illustrates an output of the same 3D scanner operated to scan the 3D object of FIG. 4 when anti-scanning filament is used for printing portions (or surfaces)of the object.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventors recognized that there was a need fo