4D Printing: The Future of Manufacturing

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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 MITs
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. Lets look at some of them 1.
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.
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• 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 doesnt require any electronic
  component to run or a complicated control system
  to control the actuation.
• For the complete in-depth article on 4D
  Printing The Future of Manufacturing, please
  visit _at_ https//www.iebrain.com/4d-printing-the-fu
  ture-of-manufacturing/

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