New technology to increase safety of and trust in 3D printing.

Fargo, ND, October 31, 2017 (Newswire.com) - North Dakota State University Computer Science Asst. Professor Jeremy Straub has been notified that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a notice of allowance for a United States patent on a key additive manufacturing - commonly known as 3D printing - technology. The technology covers the use of imaging to identify and diagnose defects in a 3D printed object.

Three-dimensional printing, which is expected by analyst Markets and Markets to grow to be an over $30 billion industry by 2023, can suffer from numerous defects. Possible defects differ by printing technology. They can include weaknesses that can cause damage, part failure and injury as well as the deposition of extra filament that can jam mechanical parts and present a possible choking hazard for 3D printed toys. With the growing prevalence of 3D printing, consumer printing services and consumer-grade printers, quality assurance is becoming critically important.
"Defective parts can cause injury - whether it is a piece that snaps off or some other sort of problem," noted NDSU Computer Science Asst. Professor Jeremy Straub, who is the lead inventor of the technology. "Proper quality assurance helps maintain public trust in 3D printing technology and reduces the potential of injury, death and damage being caused by printed parts."
In addition to Straub, inventors on the patent included Augsburg University Instructor Scott Kerlin and Park Rapids, MN native Benjamin Kading. Work on the technology generating the patent was performed at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, who applied for the patent.
The system works by generating a projected model of the 3D printed object and comparing the imagery of the actual object to this model. Discrepancies are noted and processed by a second component of the system which identifies the type of defect, its criticality and plans a correction strategy, if possible.
Defects in 3D printed objects can be caused inadvertently, due to hardware malfunction, or created deliberately. Three-dimensional printers have been discussed as a potential target for hackers future cyberattacks and these represent one way that a deliberate defect may be introduced into an object. The quality assurance technology offers solutions to both types of problems.