Use of 3D printing for anticounterfeiting

• US 20160375676A1
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verrana, LLC
• Original Assignee: Verrana, LLC
• Inventors: Maksimovic, Rebecca, Poznysz, Edward R, Flank, William, Ritchie, Gary, Flank, Sharon
• Application Number:
  US15/108,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20160375676A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/12 by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/14 by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/39 Traceability, e.g. incorporating identifier into a workpiece or article
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/80 Data acquisition or data processing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/336 of two or more materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/065 HDPE, i.e. high density polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/04 Polymers of esters
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/003 PET, i.e. poylethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2069/00 Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/16 Fillers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2509/00 Use of inorganic materials not provided for in groups B29K2503/00 - B29K2507/00, as filler
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0035 Fluorescent
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/33 using ultraviolet light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/35 : using infrared light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6428 : Measuring fluorescence of fluorescent products of reactions or of fluorochrome labelled reactive substances, e.g. measuring quenching effects, using measuring "optrodes" in vivo A61B5/00; immunoassay G01N33/53
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/65 : Raman scattering
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/223 : by irradiating the sample with X-rays or gamma-rays and by measuring X-ray fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 : multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 : Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

The invention pertains to the use of sophisticated chemical formulation and spectroscopic design methods to select taggants compatible with the 3D print medium that are easily detected spectroscopically but otherwise compatible with the product, structural integrity and stability, and aesthetics. A spectral pattern employs a different chemical or combination of chemicals to alter the formulation of all or some portion of the printed object so that its authenticity can be monitored later using a spectrometer.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture created by means of additive manufacturing, the article comprising:

a body of first material amassed by means of additive manufacturing, said body of first material providing a shaped structure upon which thin layers may be put into place;

a patch of second material put into place by means of additive manufacturing at a respective predetermined location on the body of first material, said patch of second material having a thickness and an area, said second material spectroscopically active when stimulated by a respective electromagnetic stimulation;

a patch of third material put into place by means of additive manufacturing, the patch of third material covering the patch of second material, said patch of third material having a thickness, said third material at least somewhat transparent to the spectroscopic activity of the second material.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein the thickness of the second material is less than half a millimeter and the thickness of the third material is less than half a millimeter.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein the area of the patch of second material is at least one square centimeter.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein the patch of second material is substantially unnoticeable to the touch or to the eye.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein the patch is composed at least partially of empty space rather than a second material.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 1 further characterized in that the spectroscopic activity of the second material comprises activity pursuant to ultraviolet/visible attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy, near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, fluorescence excitation/emission measurement, x-ray fluorescence measurement, or Raman spectroscopy.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 1 wherein the additive manufacturing comprises 3D printing.

8-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A method of manufacturing an article of manufacture, the method comprising the steps of:

carrying out additive manufacturing using a first material, thereby yielding a first portion of the article of manufacture, the first material selected so as to have a first characteristic when viewed with the unaided human eye, and further selected so that, when stimulated with a particle or force to interrogate the first material, a response is generated in the form of particles or electromagnetic radiation and transformed into a distinctive electrical signal which can be read out to create a first spectral pattern; and

carrying out further additive manufacturing using a second material, thereby yielding a second portion of the article of manufacture, the second material selected so as to have the first characteristic when viewed with the unaided human eye, and further selected so that, when stimulated with a particle or force to interrogate the second material, a response is generated in the form of particles or electromagnetic radiation and transformed into a distinctive electrical signal which can be read out forming a second spectral pattern that can be mathematically distinguished from the first spectral pattern.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

stimulating the first portion of the article of manufacture with a particle or force, and detecting a response in the form of particles or electromagnetic radiation from the first portion of the article of manufacture by means of a detector; and

stimulating the second portion of the article of manufacture with a particle or force, and detecting a response in the form of particles or electromagnetic radiation from the second portion of the article of manufacture by means of the detector.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the detector is composed of silicon and a composite of indium and gallium arsenide (InGaAS) materials.

18-52. -52. (canceled)

53. Additive manufacturing apparatus for use by a user in manufacturing an article of manufacture from at least first and second feedstocks in response to a data file prepared by an entity other than the user, the data file containing an encrypted portion unreadable by the user, the apparatus comprising:

a first store for the first feedstock;

a second store for the second feedstock;

a memory storing the data file;

programmable means drawing upon the first feedstock and drawing upon the second feedstock for carrying out additive manufacturing of the article of manufacture according to the data file;

the programmable means disposed to decrypt the encrypted portion of the data file and to draw differently upon the first feedstock and the second feedstock as a function of the encrypted portion of the data file.

54. The apparatus of claim 53 further comprising a non-destructive analytical means associated with the second store analyzing a characteristic of the second feedstock, the characteristic not visible to the user with the unaided eye, the programmable means disposed to draw upon the second feedstock only if the characteristic of the second feedstock meets some predetermined criterion.

55. The apparatus of claim 54 wherein the non-destructive analytical means comprises spectroscopic analysis.

56-95. -95. (canceled)