In response to finding a direct and unauthorized copy one of his designs up for sale at Shapeways, Chris, Rasterweb's host and blogger, decided to begin using the blolg's initials as a stamp that could be embedded into the a print itself. Over at The New Hobbyist, Chris describes the process.
“Taking my username's initials I sized the letters to fit within the structure of the print. The letters are 1.0 mm in height which at my current layer height of 0.3 mm prints 3 layers of initials in the print before covering the top and continuing the print. Pictured in the header image of this post is a finished print that includes my initials inside. You really can't see any evidence of my initials on the completed print so it doesn't really modify the intended appearance of the piece. However if you're printing the part yourself you will see my print "sign" itself with my initials about 25% into the print."
"While this "digital/physical signature" isn't impossible to remove I think it's a good way for anyone from artists, engineers, and hobbyists to make their mark on their 3D designs. It's pretty cool to watch this being printed as you can see in the video below. It's almost like a secret message from the model's creator. I think it would be pretty cool to see logos or initials "sign themselves" in the middle of more prints that I grab off the internet. It's a good way to connect the cool object you're printing with the cool person that designed it and you really don't need to do anything to see it, it tells you who made it while it's printing!”
Watch the process in action below:
Images and Video Courtesy of the New Hobbyist