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3D printing offers a straightforward method to produce personalized tools, spare components, and various useful items, yet it is also being utilized to manufacture untraceable weapons, often referred to as “ghost guns.”

Netanel Raviv, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, spearheaded a research group that has designed a method to embed a fingerprint within 3D-printed components. This implant can endure when the item is damaged, enabling authorities to retrieve data for forensic inquiries, such as the identity of the printer or its proprietor, along with the time and location of printing.

The research team disclosed their findings at the USENIX Security Symposium held from Aug. 13-15 in Seattle. The principal authors of the paper are Canran Wang and Jinweng Wang, who received their PhDs in computer science in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Discover more on the McKelvey Engineering website.

The article Unique fingerprints in 3D printing may foil adversaries originally appeared on The Source.

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