3D Printing Structures That Exhibit Torsions

Abstract

Conventional 3D printing produces objects with the assumption that the shape does not change through time. However, most materials undergo morphological changes through time, though it could be unnoticeably small. 4D printing takes a different approach and embraces this change in time in a favorable manner. In other words, changes through time that is mostly regarded as a deficiency are used as an advantage. Despite the endless possibility, most 4D printing demonstrations were confined to bending motions. In this paper, we propose a new design that allows the object to twist its geometry through a controlled stimulus.