A team of Indian-origin researchers has found cybersecurity risks in two aspects of 3D printing, that is printing orientation and insertion of fine defects.
In 3D printing, Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) files are by the designers that are used in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design.
“These are possible foci for attacks that could have a devastating impact on users of the end product, and economic impact in the form of recalls and lawsuits,” said Nikhil Gupta, from the New York University.
The designs cut the manufacturing Softwares into slices and orients the printer head. The printer then applies material in ultra-thin layers.The researchers reported that the orientation of the product during printing could make as much as a 25 per cent difference in its strength.
“Minus a clear directive from the design team, the best orientation for the printer is one that minimizes the use of material and maximizes the number of parts you can print in one operation,” he said.
“With the growth of cloud-based and decentralized production environments, it is critical that all entities within the additive manufacturing supply chain be aware of the unique challenges presented to avoid significant risk to the reliability of the product,” said Ramesh Karri, of NYU.
The researchers pointed out that an attacker could hack into a printer that is connected to Internet to introduce internal defects as the component is being printed.
Also, sub-millimetre defects that can appear between printed layers with exposure to fatigue and the elements were found to be undetectable by common industrial monitoring techniques, the researchers said.
“With 3D printed components, such as metallic molds made for injection molding used in high temperature and pressure conditions, such defects may eventually cause failure,” Gupta said.
In 3D printing, Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD) files are by the designers that are used in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design.
“These are possible foci for attacks that could have a devastating impact on users of the end product, and economic impact in the form of recalls and lawsuits,” said Nikhil Gupta, from the New York University.
The designs cut the manufacturing Softwares into slices and orients the printer head. The printer then applies material in ultra-thin layers.The researchers reported that the orientation of the product during printing could make as much as a 25 per cent difference in its strength.
“Minus a clear directive from the design team, the best orientation for the printer is one that minimizes the use of material and maximizes the number of parts you can print in one operation,” he said.
“With the growth of cloud-based and decentralized production environments, it is critical that all entities within the additive manufacturing supply chain be aware of the unique challenges presented to avoid significant risk to the reliability of the product,” said Ramesh Karri, of NYU.
The researchers pointed out that an attacker could hack into a printer that is connected to Internet to introduce internal defects as the component is being printed.
Also, sub-millimetre defects that can appear between printed layers with exposure to fatigue and the elements were found to be undetectable by common industrial monitoring techniques, the researchers said.
“With 3D printed components, such as metallic molds made for injection molding used in high temperature and pressure conditions, such defects may eventually cause failure,” Gupta said.