New modeling approach for 4D printing by using kinetic components

Abstract

The use of smart materials in three-dimensional (3D) printing incorporates a temporal dimension to the printed object in a technique that is aptly named four-dimensional (4D) printing. In most 4D designs, the smart material is used for the whole body of the object and the final configurations can be predicted with the aid of simulations. The motions of smart materials are non-linear and computationally expensive to predict even through advanced numerical solvers. To enable the ease of integration of smart materials to 3D printing, we introduce (i) standardized kinetic components made of smart materials that exhibit basic mechanical motions, such as bending and twisting, to be used as active components for mechanical assemblies with rigid parts; (ii) an open kinetic library concept where anyone can download data on kinetic components to use in their designs, as well as upload and share their own; and (iii) simulations based on the empirical method using the kinetic components in the assembly. We provide two design implementations that utilize the standardized kinetic components: an icosahedron and a mounting platform.