InfoPrint: Embedding Information into 3D Printed Objects

Weiwei Jiang; Chaofan Wang; Zhanna Sarsenbayeva; Andrew Irlitti; Jarrod Knibbe; Tilman Dingler; Jorge Goncalves; Vassilis Kostakos

doi:10.1145/3610933

arXiv · 2112.00189

InfoPrint: Embedding Information into 3D Printed Objects

Weiwei Jiang·Chaofan Wang·Zhanna Sarsenbayeva·Andrew Irlitti·Jarrod Knibbe·Tilman Dingler·Jorge Goncalves·Vassilis Kostakos

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Abstract

We present a technique to embed information invisible to the eye inside 3D printed objects. The information is integrated in the object model, and then fabricated using off-the-shelf dual-head FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D printers. Our process does not require human intervention during or after printing with the integrated model. The information can be arbitrary symbols, such as icons, text,binary, or handwriting. To retrieve the information, we evaluate two different infrared-based imaging devices that are readily available-thermal cameras and near-infrared scanners. Based on our results, we propose design guidelines for a range of use cases to embed and extract hidden information. We demonstrate how our method can be used for different applications, such as interactive thermal displays, hidden board game tokens, tagging functional printed objects, and autographing non-fungible fabrication work.

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BibTeX RIS

Weiwei Jiang, Chaofan Wang, Zhanna Sarsenbayeva, Andrew Irlitti, Jarrod Knibbe, Tilman Dingler, Jorge Goncalves, Vassilis Kostakos. 2021-12-01. InfoPrint: Embedding Information into 3D Printed Objects. https://doi.org/10.1145/3610933

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