Future of additive manufacturing: Overview of 4D and 3D printed smart and advanced materials and their applications

4D printing is an emerging field in additive manufacturing of time responsive programmable materials. The combination of 3D printing technologies with materials that can transform and possess shape memory and self-healing capabilities means the potential to manufacture dynamic structures readily for a myriad of applications. The benefits of using multifunctional materials in 4D printing create opportunities for solutions in demanding environments including outer space, and extreme weather conditions where human intervention is not possible. The current progress of 4D printable smart materials and their stimuli-responsive capabilities are overviewed in this paper, including the discussion of shape-memory materials, metamaterials, and self-healing materials and their responses to thermal, pH, moisture, light, magnetic and electrical exposures. Potential applications of such systems have been explored to include advancements in health monitoring, electrical devices, deployable structures, soft robotics and tuneable metamaterials.

Automated summary

4D printing is a developing field in additive manufacturing that utilizes time responsive programmable materials to create dynamic structures for a variety of applications. The use of multifunctional materials in 4D printing offers solutions for challenging environments where human intervention is not possible, such as outer space and extreme weather conditions. This technology has the potential to advance health monitoring, electrical devices, deployable structures, soft robotics, and tuneable metamaterials.