 Definition of 4D printing technology?

is the process through which a 3D printed

object transforms itself into another structure over the influence of external energy input as
temperature, light or other environmental stimuli.

So, basically, 4D printing is a renovation of 3D printing wherein special materials to print objects that
change shape post-production. A trigger may be water, heat, wind and other forms of energy.

 The Capabilities that the technology offers:

- Size changing: The most obvious advantage of 4D printing is that
through computational folding, objects larger than printers can be printed as
only one part. Since the 4D printed objects can change shape, can shrink and
unfold, objects that are too large to fit a printer can be compressed for 3D
printing into their secondary form.
- Self-repair piping system: One potential application of 4D Printing in the real world
would be pipes of a plumbing system that dynamically change their diameter
in response to the flow rate and water demand. Pipes that could possibly heal
themselves automatically if they crack or break, due to their ability to change
in response to the environment’s change.
- Self-assembly furniture: Since 3D printing furniture is limited by the size of the
printer, 4D printing could allow to just print a flat board that will curl up into a
chair by just adding water or light to it.

- Fashion: 4D printing could also change the face of fashion. Self-Assembly

Printing Lab from MIT is studying potential applications of 4D technologies.
One of the ideas is that clothing could change accordingly to the weather or
the activity. For instance, shoes could change their shape when you start
running to provide you with better comfort and amortization.

- 4D printing develops materials that can change properties and characteristics based on
changes in the environment—like temperature. The changes could let materials self-
assemble thus speeding up manufacturing and reducing labor requirements.

- 4D technology and equipment is expected to grow rapidly in the healthcare, aerospace,

defense, and automotive industries after it’s commercialization
- 4D printing could create a range of products from automotive parts to human organs.
Benefits of 4D printing include: increased capabilities of the printed products; new
applications from adaptive materials; added manufacturing efficiency; and, reduced
manufacturing cost and carbon footprint.
- The healthcare market could use the technology for tissue engineering, self-assembling
biomaterials, and creating nano-robots for chemotherapy.
- For the automotive industry, 4D printing could lead to coatings that adapt to sun, wind,
and rain
- The aerospace market might benefit from 4D printing by way of self-repairing parts or
planes and printed solar panels to power satellites.

 The main key players in the 4D printing technology:

- Massachusetts Institute of Technology

- ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES)

- Exone Corporation.

- Hewlett Packard Corp. (U.S.)

- Stratasys Ltd. (U.S)

- ExOne Co. (U.S.)

- Organovo Holdings

- Materialise NV (Belgium)

- Dassault Systèmes SA (France)