![]() In self-repair piping, the pipes of a plumbing system could dynamically change their diameter in response to the flow rate and water demand. Other examples of 4D printing are self-repair piping and self-assembly furniture. Potential uses could be the manufacture of space suits or putting coating materials on spaceships. The structure would have the capability to reflect heat from the outside and preserve it from the inside. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has looked at 4D printing to develop a wire mesh structure created from steel pieces, which incorporates thermal regulation programming. The environments are too harsh, too large, too dangerous, it is expensive, and there are too many parts. The Self-Assembly Lab is dedicated to trying to develop programmable materials for the construction world, otherwise known as the ‘built environment.’ĭownload Taming the too-harsh environmentĪreas that have “fairly near-term applications”, as Tibbits described it in 2013, are extreme environments, scenarios where it is difficult to build, or where current construction techniques do not work. Since that talk, 4D printing has come a long way. The fourth dimension in 4D printing is time, where objects become foldable on command or due to some external stimuli, which could be temperature, light, water, or other environmental triggers. This is like robotics, without wires or motors.” So right off the (print) bed, the parts can transform from one shape to another shape, directly on their own. ![]() At the time, he said: “The idea behind 4D printing is that you take multi-material 3D printing-so you can deposit multiple materials-and you add a new capability, which is transformation. ![]() Tibbits’ talk discussed a collaboration between Stratasys Education, research and development (R&D) departments, and the MIT Self-Assembly Lab to develop a process, which Tibbits labelled ‘4D printing’, where materials can be reprogrammed to self-assemble into new structures. ![]()
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