4D Printing and “Smart Materials”- The tech from the future
In the wildly wonderful world of technology, not a day passes without the emergence of some amazing futuristic tech. 4D printing is one such emerging tech of the future. How do you add an extra dimension to 3D?
Read on to find out.
The first 3D printer ever created was made in 1983 by Chuck Hull. The 3D printing buzz began about a decade ago, catching the broader public’s attention in a big way. Yet, while the Additive Manufacturing industry is still discovering new applications, new materials, and new 3D printers, another technology is arising. Now, 4D printing is the next new infatuation among tech enthusiasts. So, what is 4D printing, and how is it relevant to civil engineers? To answer that, let’s rewind and start from the three dimensional.
3D Printing (also termed additive manufacturing) is a process for making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many successive thin layers of material. It brings a digital object (its CAD representation) into its physical form by adding layer by layer of materials.
4d printing is in many ways similar to its predecessor. It uses the same techniques of 3D printing through computer-programmed deposition of material in successive layers to create a 3d object. However, there is one significant difference- the fourth dimension of changing itself over time!
4D printing technology uses commercial 3D printers The input is a “smart material”, that can be either a hydrogel or a shape memory polymer, because of which a 3D printed object can transform itself into another structure over the influence of external energy input as temperature, light or other environmental stimuli. That’s how a non-living object can change its 3D shape and behaviour over time. So — the magic lies in materials.
Using this technology complex-shaped objects could behave like living organisms; by sensing external stimuli and responding by adapting to their environment. The future applications of such structures in the building, transportation, textiles, health-care, defence, and aerospace industries are vast and wonderfully exciting. Below, we mention a few such possibilities.
Autonomously adapting structures-
Using new intelligent materials that can adapt to the changing environmental conditions is one of the biggest possibilities of 4D printing. The resultant reduction in parts, assembly time, material, and energy use would lead to lower costs.
Self-repair piping system-
One potential application of 4D Printing in the real world would be pipes of a plumbing system with the ability to actively change their diameter in response to the flow rate and water demand. Pipes could possibly heal themselves automatically if they crack or break, due to their ability to change in response to the environment’s change.
Self-assembly-
Suppose structures could autonomously assemble themselves at a specific time and place without intervention, from either human or electro-mechanical systems. In that case, structures or even buildings could be constructed in tough to reach or hazardous places with relative ease. From space antennas that could self-construct in outer space to minute objects that could be transported within the human body to a target location and self-assemble for medical purposes, all can become a reality.
The possible feats that can be achieved through the use of smart “living” materials are countless and this tech is bound to have a great impact on all industries in the coming future.
So now you know what 4d printing actually is and why smart materials are being deemed magical. Until next time…
Compiled by Praneet Tiwari- ACE
References :
https://www.seas.harvard.edu/news/2016/01/novel-4d-printing-method-blossoms-botanical-inspiration
