Secure three-dimensional print files

1. A method of securely performing 3-dimensional (3D) printing, the method comprising:

displaying, by a computing system, a list of items available for 3D printing to a user;

receiving, by the computing system, a selection, from the user, of a particular item from the list of items;

authenticating, by the computing system, an acquisition of the particular item by the user;

sending, from the computing system to a 3D printer of the user, a secure 3D print file, the secure 3D print file including a description of 3D geometry of the particular item, a description of access restrictions for 3D printing of the particular item, and secure access controls preventing unauthorized access to 3D printing of the particular item, the description of the access restrictions indicating a maximum number of times that the user is permitted to print the selected item;

authenticating, by the 3D printer, that the user has acquired the particular item and validating, by the 3D printer, that the access restrictions for 3D printing of the particular item do not restrict 3D printing of the particular item by the 3D printer, wherein validating includes:

the 3D printer obtaining, from the computing system, a count of a number of times that the user has already printed the selected item and

verifying that the count obtained from the computing system does not exceed the maximum number;

in response to authenticating and validating by the 3D printer, constructing the particular item by the 3D printer using the description of 3D geometry of the particular item;

in response to completion of constructing the particular item by the 3D printer, inspecting, by the 3D printer, the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer;

communicating inspection results from the 3D printer to the computing system; and

in response to the computing system determining that the inspection results indicate that the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer meets quality assurance standards indicative of successful completion of printing the particular item, incrementing the count of the number of times that the user has already printed the selected item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the description of the access restrictions indicates an allowable period of time during which the user is permitted to print the selected item; and

validating further includes:

the 3D printer communicating with the computing system to obtain a current time from the computing system; and

verifying that the current time obtained from the computing system is within the allowable period of time.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein inspecting the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer includes performing, by the 3D printer, a laser scan of the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises, while constructing the particular item by the 3D printer, sending progress updates from the 3D printer to the computing system for display to the user.

5. A system for securely performing 3-dimensional (3D) printing, the system comprising:

computing equipment configured to:

display a list of items available for 3D printing to a user;

receive a selection from the user of a particular item from the list of items;

authenticate an acquisition of the particular item by the user; and

send, to a 3D printer of the user, a secure 3D print file, the secure 3D print file including a description of 3D geometry of the particular item, a description of access restrictions for 3D printing of the particular item, and secure access controls preventing unauthorized access to 3D printing of the particular item, the description of the access restrictions indicating a maximum number of times that the user is permitted to print the selected item; and

the 3D printer, the 3D printer being configured to:

authenticate that the user has acquired the particular item and validate that the access restrictions for 3D printing of the particular item do not restrict 3D printing of the particular item by the 3D printer, wherein validating includes:

the 3D printer obtaining, from the computing equipment, a count of a number of times that the user has already printed the selected item and

verifying that the count obtained from the computing equipment does not exceed the maximum number;

in response to authenticating and validating, construct the particular item using the description of 3D geometry of the particular item;

in response to completing constructing the particular item, inspect the particular item as constructed; and

communicate inspection results to the computing equipment;

wherein the computing equipment is further configured to determine that the inspection results indicate that the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer meets quality assurance standards indicative of successful completion of printing the particular item, and, in response, increment the count of the number of times that the user has already printed the selected item.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the description of the access restrictions indicates an allowable period of time during which the user is permitted to print the selected item; and

validating further includes:

the 3D printer communicating with the computing equipment to obtain a current time from the computing equipment; and

verifying that the current time obtained from the computing equipment is within the allowable period of time.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein the 3D printer includes laser scanning equipment configured to perform a laser scan of the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer as part of inspecting the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the 3D printer is further configured to, while constructing the particular item, send progress updates from the 3D printer to the computing equipment for display to the user.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions, which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

display a list of items available for 3-dimensional (3D) printing to a user;

receive a selection from the user of a particular item from the list of items;

authenticate an acquisition of the particular item by the user; and

send, to a 3D printer of the user, a secure 3D print file, the secure 3D print file including a description of 3D geometry of the particular item, a description of access restrictions for 3D printing of the particular item, and secure access controls preventing unauthorized access to 3D printing of the particular item, the description of the access restrictions indicating a maximum number of times that the user is permitted to print the selected item;

wherein the 3D printer is configured to:

authenticate that the user has acquired the particular item and validate that the access restrictions for 3D printing of the particular item do not restrict 3D printing of the particular item by the 3D printer, wherein validating includes:

obtaining, from the computing device, a count of a number of times that the user has already printed the selected item and

verifying that the count obtained from the computing device does not exceed the maximum number;

in response to authenticating and validating, construct the particular item using the description of 3D geometry of the particular item;

in response to completing constructing the particular item, inspect the particular item as constructed; and

communicate inspection results to the computing device;

the instructions, when executed by the computing device, further cause the computing device to, in response to determining that the inspection results indicate that the particular item as constructed by the 3D printer meets quality assurance standards indicative of successful completion of printing the particular item, increment the count of the number of times that the user has already printed the selected item.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein:

the description of the access restrictions indicates an allowable period of time during which the user is permitted to print the selected item; and

validating further includes:

the 3D printer communicating with the computing device to obtain a current time from the computing device; and

verifying that the current time obtained from the computing device is within the allowable period of time.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the 3D printer is further configured to, while constructing the particular item, send progress updates from the 3D printer to the computing device for display to the user.