Using unique surface patterns of injection moulded plastic components as an image based Physical Unclonable Function...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Security Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) leverage unique physical properties for component identification and anti-counterfeiting.
• Current PUF technologies often require specialized hardware or complex fabrication processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of using inherent surface patterns of injection molded plastic components as a PUF.
• To demonstrate a simple and accessible method for capturing these unique surface patterns for identification.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of surface patterns on 200 injection molded components made from two distinct plastic materials.
• Utilizing a simple camera setup to photograph and record the unique surface topographies.
• Conducting preliminary robustness tests against common environmental conditions.

Main Results:

• The study confirmed that surface patterns on injection molded plastic components are inherently unique, suitable for PUF applications.
• Photographic capture with a basic camera setup proved effective for accessing these unique identifiers.
• Initial tests indicated promising robustness of the surface patterns under simulated real-world conditions.

Conclusions:

• Injection molded plastic surface patterns can serve as a cost-effective and reliable PUF for secure component identification.
• This method offers a label-free and accessible approach for anti-counterfeiting and component authentication.
• The findings suggest potential applications in secure tracking and verification of manufactured goods.