![]() ![]() army has grant-aided a number of research teams with a view towards determining functions that would be useful in a military context. When it comes to new technology, the military are not slow to assess such technologies. Off the back of this project, Airbus are encouraged in finding other use cases for the technology. Whist not yet in commercial use, the 4D component has performed well during testing. The company has developed an air inlet component which adjusts itself automatically to control air flow, utilized to cool jet engines. “4D printing is a further evolution of 3D printing and is set to completely alter how we create and produce materials.”Įuropean aerospace company Airbus has identified this potential. According to Andrew Bolwell, Chief Disrupter at Hewlett Packard (itself a notable player in the development of this new technology), the potential of 4D printing is not to be understated: Gartner predicts that by 2023, 4D printing will attract investment in the region of $300 million. The addition of geometric code – which takes into account the angles and dimensions of the object – sets the direction and angles at which the material can bend and transform. temperature change, addition of water, etc. That intelligence is added through the integration of a means to pre-programme the ability of a material to react and transform itself given a specific stimulus e.g. It builds upon the basis of 3D printing but is infinitely smarter. Read More: 3D-printed weapons can be traced by 3D printer’s ‘fingerprints’: study 3D and 4D printing don’t so much differ but rather, 4D printing has a basis in 3D print design and methodology. What is the difference between 3D and 4D printing? The technology emerged in 2013 when MIT assistant professor Skylar Tibbits described the concept in a Ted talk – giving it its current moniker in the process. Heat or light could also be triggers which could effect a change in shape of the component. ![]() When the expandable materials come into contact with an external stimulus such as water, they can grow up to 200% of their original volume, changing their shape and effectively re-positioning the rigid materials either side of them. What is 4D Printing?ĤD printing involves strategically positioning rigid and expandable materials next to each other within one 3D printed component. 4D printing takes matters a step further, implicating programmable materials that build themselves. Read More: 3D printing can end poaching, flood market with indistinguishable counterfeitsĪ team from Rutgers University published a study last week which claims that 3D printing is just the starting point. However, a study published last week suggests that 3D printing is just a precursor and that the real revolution is being offered by 4D printing. Much has been publicized about 3D printing and the revolution that it has brought in terms of material design and use. ![]()
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