Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Opinion / What 3D? Even the US army is funding 4D printing
BackBack

What 3D? Even the US army is funding 4D printing

The question is why would the US Army invest this amount (not a very big grant, anyway) in 4D printing

A file photo of a 3D printer during an exhibition in New York. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFPPremium
A file photo of a 3D printer during an exhibition in New York. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP

Mumbai: If you thought that three-dimensional, or 3D, printing will change the face of manufacturing, consider this. Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have gone a step ahead and added a fourth dimension, or 4D, to their printing technology, which, they said in a 22 October press statement, opens up “exciting possibilities for the creation and use of adaptive, composite materials in manufacturing, packaging and biomedical applications".

The team, led by H. Jerry Qi, associate professor of mechanical engineering at CU-Boulder, and his collaborator Martin L. Dunn of the Singapore University of Technology and Design incorporated “shape memory" polymer fibres into the composite materials used in traditional 3D printing, which results in the production of an object fixed in one shape that can later be changed to take on a new shape.

“In this work, the initial configuration is created by 3D printing, and then the programmed action of the shape memory fibres creates time dependence of the configuration—the 4D aspect," said Dunn, a former CU-Boulder mechanical engineering faculty member who has studied the mechanics and physics of composite materials for more than two decades.

The 4D printing concept, which allows materials to “self-assemble" into 3D structures, was initially proposed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty member Skylar Tibbits this April, when Tibbits and his team combined a strand of plastic with a layer made out of “smart" material that could self-assemble in water.

The CU-Boulder team’s findings were published last month in the journal Applied Physics Letters.

The paper was co-authored by Qi “Kevin" Ge, who joined MIT as a post-doctoral research associate in September.

Three-dimensional printing technology, which has been around for about three decades, promises to change the way we manufacture goods and do business. It is currently used, not only to make jewellery and toothbrushes but also football boots, racing car parts, airplanes, houses and even custom-designed cakes.

The technology, which deposits layer on layer of a specific material to print a real object, has even been used to manufacture a firearm. Cody Wilson, a law student at the University of Texas and founder of a non-profit organization called Defense Distributed, who spoke about his process for 3D printing guns at SXSW 2013 on 11 March this year, believes the project might change the way we think about gun control and consumption.

In the last 12 months, India has seen a transformation in the 3D printing industry with the emergence of local 3D printer manufacturers, according to a 10 October report by research firm Gartner Inc.

The report forecast worldwide shipments of 3D printers (3DPs) priced less than $100,000 to grow 49% in 2013 to reach a total of 56,507 units.

Given the potential, it’s hardly surprising, then, when on 30 September, a trio of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the University of Illinois announced that they had got a $855,000 grant from the US Army Research Office to develop 4D materials, which can exhibit behaviour that changes over time.

The team includes principal investigator Anna C. Balazs, the Robert v. d. Luft Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering and a researcher in the computational design of chemo-mechanically responsive gels and composites.

Co-investigators are Jennifer A. Lewis, the Hansjo, Wyss Professor of biologically-inspired engineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and an expert in 3D printing of functional materials; and Ralph G. Nuzzo, the G. L. Clark Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois—a synthetic chemist who has created novel stimuli-responsive materials.

The three scientists said in the press statement that they will integrate their expertise to manipulate materials at nano and micro levels in order to produce, via 3D printing, materials that can modify their structures over time at the macro level. Three-dimensional printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is the process of creating a 3D object based upon a digital model by depositing successive layers of material.

“Rather than construct a static material or one that simply changes its shape, we’re proposing the development of adaptive, biomimetic composites that reprogram their shape, properties, or functionality on demand, based upon external stimuli," Balazs explained.

Lewis added that current 3D printing technology allows researchers to build in complicated functionality at the nano and micro levels—not just throughout an entire structure, but also within specific areas of the structure.

“If you use materials that possess the ability to change their properties or shape multiple times, you don’t have to build for a specific, one-time use," she explained. “Composites that can be reconfigured in the presence of different stimuli could dramatically extend the reach of 3D printing."

Of course, the question is why would the US Army invest this amount (not a very big grant, anyway) in 4D printing. Well, if the US can fund research on “Thought Helmets" that can read the thoughts of enemies on the battlefield, investing in 4D printing to create, say, clothing to make soldiers invisible on the battlefield won’t be a preposterous idea.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leslie D'Monte
Leslie D'Monte specialises in technology and science writing. He is passionate about digital transformation and deeptech topics including artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, crypto, metaverses, quantum computing, genetics, fintech, electric vehicles, solar power and autonomous vehicles. Leslie is a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Knight Science Journalism Fellow (2010-11), author of 'AI Rising: India's Artificial Intelligence Growth Story', co-host of the 'AI Rising' podcast, and runs the 'Tech Talk' newsletter. In his other avatar, he curates tech events and moderates panels.
Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 28 Oct 2013, 04:15 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App