Heralding The Era of 4-Dimensional printing. [Farewell to 3D printing]

in #science6 years ago (edited)

Amazing advancements have been seen in the field of technology. Prior to this era, we’ve so much heard about the 3D printing and bioprinting. But that era is almost about to go into oblivion, as we herald yet another era; the era of 4D printing. (Too bad, 3D printing never came to my country, and now the era is almost far spent).

[Image Source]

4D printing is also called 4D bioprinting or shaping-morphing. This is an advancement in the existing 3D printing. Because it uses a computer programmable deposit of materials to create objects. But unlike the 3D printing, the 4D also adds a dimension of transformation into the printing. I know this sounds too “ish” for the uninitiated. But let me explain like this: The 4D printer produces a reprogrammable matter. That means, after the printing process, the printed object can still react with the environment to change its shape and form in sympathy to the surrounding environment. Just look at it as a “dynamic printed object”. Just like the image shown below, the printed polymer reacts on immersion into water.

[Image Source]

Techniques of 4D printing

4D uses advanced Stereolithography technique. This is a kind of printing technique that makes use of photopolymerization to connect materials that have been placed deposit upon deposit. This will now create a thick polymeric network. This is unlike the 3D that uses a modeling of fused deposition, which causes the printed material to harden, forming a single whole. Like I said before, 4D printed objects can respond to the changes in the environment.

The fiber design of 4D printing

The major structural architecture utilized by 4D is “fiber”. These fibers differ in size and properties. That is why these design can be done both on micro and macro scale. 

  • Micro scaling: This design architecture is accomplished through composite molecular-fiber replications that are almost the cumulative properties of all the materials used in the printing process.
  • Macro Scaling: This kind of design is gotten independently of the properties of the individual materials that make up the printed object.

Potential applications of 4D printing

The applications are almost limitless. But I’ll only talk about a few.

1. Biomedical field

This is no longer just theoretical. Photo-curable liquid resin has been bioprinted with 4D technology. This kind of resin changes it shapes at it swings between temperatures, and also has the ability of returning back to its initial shape when the temperature becomes as the initial. We could be looking at period when blood vessels can be bioprinted. Does it sound impossible? Well, just like you’ve already known, some amazing techs we have now started as impossible ideas too.

2. Smart electric and electronic materials

This can be very useful in creating electrical material that will respond to certain changes in the environment in a pre-programmed way. It will also respond to changes in voltage in a specified way. With this, we can create a shape-shifting robot (Now you’re laughing. Yes; @samminator loves robots, lol)

[Image Source]

3. Transportation

Imagine the possibility of having a self-healing car, or a ship that can recover from wreckage. With this tech, the possibilities in this will see the light of the day one day. In the shipping industry, we could have shipping containers that will react to strains on transit, and will uniformly distribute the loads to compensate for the strains. 

But until then, let’s just watch and see as 3D is being sidelined by 4D.

Tech Rules!!

References for further reading: Ref1, Ref2, Ref3


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Damn! We are not done experience 3D down here... Not its 4D 😭😭😭😭😭

Lol. Bros, we no even sabi wetin be 3D here sef. 4D don dey show face

I can imagine some commercial potential for this technology but will this also eventually become available to the maker community or the odd hobbyist? Nonetheless, a very fascinating concept. Thanks for the post.

Thanks for dropping by

Wow. Just amazing. It's so interesting to read about things like this, while I'm not a big fan of science like seriously, SHAPE SHIFTING ROBOTS? Like WHAT?! That's amazing! Think of the possibilities. So much new stuff could be made, we would be advanced in impossible ways we think is impossible now. So cool.

Exactly. Impossibilities are only mind-limited

I assume the 4th dimension is time?

Mathematically; it connects space and time. If that’s what you mean. (But that's in the area of geometry though)

@samminator I see! Man, what an era to live in, all of this seems surreal! I'm excited how we will utilize the 4th dimension. Maybe self-assembling assets to start with (furniture, bags, etc.)!

Lol. This is so hilarious. Thanks for the comment

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