What Are the Top 4D Printing Projects?

Have you heard of 4D printing? Building off conventional 3D printing, 4D printing incorporates another dimension: time. This means that the final object does not stay static, rather it is able to change shape, color or size after receiving an external stimulus. Introduced in 2013, the origins of 4D printing trace back to Sklyar Tibbs from MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, who is still one of those most active in projects today, even if the field has come a long way. But what projects are available? We took a closer look at different successful examples of 4D printing that can be found in the sector, including applications and materials, in our latest listing.

Mizzou Engineering Develops Implant Made From Smart Material

As part of a study published earlier this year, a team of researchers from Mizzou Engineering has succeeded in developing a medical implant using 4D printing. The implant can be fully personalized and also promotes soft tissue regeneration thanks to its material composition. According to the scientists, the decisive factor for a personalized treatment option was the 4D printing of the implant. 4D printing combines 3D printing technology and smart materials that can adapt their functions in certain contexts. In this case, a bioresorbable shape memory elastomer was used. This made it possible to address the patient’s complaints and identify an optimal treatment: “We designed an in vitro model of the patient and implanted it intravascularly inside a 3D printed heart of the patient to show a proof of concept of how the material would be used for that issue,” says Alireza Mahjoubnia, PhD student in mechanical engineering. “The material can change behavior based on physiological conditions. We program its shape to go through a catheter and after it gets inside the left atrial appendage, it can recover its shape to go back to its original shape, showing shape memory behavior.”

Photo Credits: University of Missouri

4D Printing for Bone Regeneration

Another example of 4D printing in the medical field, a group of researchers in China has studied the possibility of creating smart 4D biopiezoelectric scaffolds for bone regeneration. Piezoelectricity in human bones is a key factor in bone regeneration. Therefore, biopiezoelectric materials have gained considerable attention in the repair of damaged bone. However, traditional manufacturing strategies still encounter limitations in creating customized scaffolds, hindering their clinical applications. Researchers therefore investigated the uses of 3D and 4D printing for the fabrication of biopiezoelectric scaffolds into more complexly shaped structures. Specifically, 4D scaffolds can provide time-dependent programmable tissue in response to external stimuli for bone regeneration. These intelligent implants that change shape, properties, and functionality in bone tissue engineering and could thus be used as next-generation implants.