4D Printing: The Future of Manufacturing
The 3D printing technology has matured as a viable solution for easily manufacturing intricate designs, even utilizing many materials. But it boosts the ultimate question of “What else can be done with it?”, this question has led many industry leaders and researchers to take the technology to a whole new level. The answer might lie in a new aspect of the technology – 4D printing.
The Technology
The term 4D printing was coined by MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab. It is an advancement of 3D printing, in which the objects created by 3D printing can change their shape, size, color, function, etc., based on the requirements.
“….you first have to have the 3D manufacturing capability, and then you add smart materials….”
- Howon Lee, Associate professor, Mechanical and Space Engineering,
Rutgers University
This quote signifies that you can switch to 4D printing with the help of smart materials, and the rest of the process remains quite similar to conventional 3D printing.
4D printing is a process in which objects that have been manufactured by 3D printing convert themselves into some other structure due to the application of external input in the form of heat, light, or physical stress, etc. It makes the use of programmable or Smart materials to reimage construction, manufacturing, product assembly, and performance.
Applications of 4D Printing
With the freedom and flexibility that 4D printing provides, the applications for this technology are endless. Let’s look at some of them:
- Aerospace Industry:
Shape changing antennas: Nasa has developed a special metal fabric that can be used to shield space antennas or astronaut spacesuits. Antennas made from this material can be articulated by providing a bit of thermal stimulation or the like.
Programmable Carbon Fiber inlet components have been developed by Airbus Ltd. & MIT to cool the airplane engine by maintaining airflow automatically.
- Fashion & Clothing Industry:
The 4D printing technology can manufacture clothing and footwear that can change their properties according to the atmospheric conditions they are worn in.
For example, it can be very helpful to provide soldiers with clothes that can camouflage, cool, or insulate them according to environmental conditions.
- Healthcare Industry:
4D manufactured artificial muscles & organs like print skins can change their shape according to the requirements and need a very small number of components for actuation. This minimizes energy consumption for powered prosthetics and wear and tear for non-powered ones.
One example of related intellectual property is CN104116578B, assigned to Xian Jiaotong University, and the patent talks about a 4D printed artificial blood vessel bracket.
- Smart Valves for Water Handling:
Researchers have developed a valve utilizing a hybrid hydrogel as a thermal actuation element. The valve is composed of four components, each printed with a different material ink. When the hydrogel encounters hot water, the actuators contract and close the outlet to block water flow, this valve doesn’t require any electronic component to run or a complicated control system to control the actuation.
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