4D Printing and Universal Transformation

Abstract

3D printing has captured the imagination of everyone from industry experts to at-home hobbyists.However, there are significant challenges that need to be addressed in order for 3D printing to have widespread adoption in construction and manufacturing. A new category of printing has recently been introduced, called 4D printing, which describes the ability for a material system or object to change form and/or function after printing. 4D printing offers a number of unique advantages over 3D printing that may prove to be the critical capability needed to catalyze widespread implementation. This paper attempts to go beyond existing capabilities in 4D printing to create precise and universal folding techniques that approach a wider range of applications through a series of radically new physical models. A number of physical and digital prototypes demonstrate major advances in 4D printing, including: custom angle-structures that can transform from any one shape into another rigid 3D structure, curved-crease origami for doubly curved surfaces and dynamic fields utilizing surface curling and gradient material distribution.

The Technological Advancement to Engineer Next‐Generation Stent‐Grafts: Design, Material, and Fabrication Techniques

“…In 4D printing, an additively manufactured object can transform itself into another structure due to the influence of external energy input (e.g., temperature, light, stress, and others). 4D printing has become a vibrant research area that combines manufacturing, materials science, and mechanics, [208][209][210] and current technology allows objects to change shape, directly off the print bed, to predefined target shape over time. [211] This technique offers a streamlined path from idea to reality with performancedriven functionality built directly into the materials.…”

Biomimetic Nonuniform, Dual-Stimuli Self-Morphing Enabled by Gradient Four-Dimensional Printing

“…Compared to traditional manufacturing methods, 4D printing has significant advantages in geometrical complexity and material adaptability, which facilitates the precise configuration of material responsiveness. Therefore, it has great potential for fabricating programmable shape-shifting structures and achieving well-defined complicated shapes . Recently, there have been many studies using 4D printing methods to construct gel-based deformed material structures.…”

Digital Light Processing 3D Printing of Triple Shape Memory Polymer for Sequential Shape Shifting

“…In recent years, an emerging technology4D printinghas attracted increasing interest since it was first introduced by Tibbits . It combines 3D printing (also called additive manufacturing, AM) techniques with stimuli-responsive smart materials, − which endow the printed structures with the capability of time-dependent evolution in geometry, property, and functionality. , Once exposed to an external stimulus, such as heat, − light, or water, , the printed static structure is able to transform into a dynamic structure with time; thus the context of “printing” in the fourth dimension. Based on 3D printing, it allows the creation of complex 3D features in the micro- and even nanoscale, , breaking the constraint from the limited configuration of elements such as sheets and tubes; , meanwhile, the utilization of stimuli-responsive materials enables the fabrication of intelligent devices, greatly expanding the functions and utilities of 3D printed objects, giving rise to a variety of applications in soft actuators, , robotics, , flexible electronics, and biomedical devices. , …”

“…The materials used in 4D printing include hydrogels, ,,, shape memory polymers (SMPs), ,− multi-material shape memory composites, ,,, and liquid crystal elastomers (LCE). ,, Among these materials, SMPs are the most extensively investigated because of their excellent stimuli-responsiveness, capability of customizing shape-shifting, and compatibility with 3D printing. Generally, starting with a permanent shape, SMPs can be activated by an external stimulus (e.g.…”

“…The work in this Letter presents an alternative approach to sequential shape-shifting 4D printing using a multi-monomer resin formulation with a single initiator and a commercial DLP printer. The materials used in 4D printing include hydrogels, 11,12,40,41 shape memory polymers (SMPs), 20,42−45 multimaterial shape memory composites, 9,10,46,47 and liquid crystal elastomers (LCE). 33,48,49 Among these materials, SMPs are the most extensively investigated because of their excellent stimuliresponsiveness, capability of customizing shape-shifting, and compatibility with 3D printing.…”