3D printing of morphing composites

• Main Author: Lim, Shi En
• Other Authors: Hortense Le Ferrand
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Engineering; 3D printing of morphing composites; 4D printing
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/176726
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

With 3D printing as the norm, 4D printing allows fabricated parts to undergo a change in form or shape with the extra dimension of time. With external stimuli such as heat, the sample is able transform into another shape through morphing. The material property that determines the magnitude of morphing is the pre-strain induced in the printed part when printed using the 3D printer. The higher the pre-strain induced or stored in the part, the higher the magnitude of the morphing capability displayed when an external stimulus like a form heat is applied on the sample. In this report, the focus was on modifying several 3D printing parameters and methods in hopes to alter the morphing abilities of the samples. Fused Deposition Method (FDM) printing was used in this report. Polylactic Acid (PLA) was the filament used for printing of all the samples. The experiments in this report were split into 4 stages, each stage explored different 3D printing parameters and their effect on the morphing capabilities of the samples were discussed. Overall, it could be observed that the in-situ parameters such as the printing bed temperature and nozzle fan speed affected the morphing behavior the most. The curvature displayed by the sample having underwent heat treatment was used as a gauge of the morphing ability of the sample printed.