Thermorph: Democratizing 4D Printing of Self-Folding Materials and Interfaces
2017-2018
By taking advantage of the warpage that is commonly considered as a defect of desktop fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printers, we have used an inexpensive 3-D printer to produce flat plastic items that, when heated, fold themselves into predetermined shapes, such as a rose, a boat or even a bunny. These self-folding plastic objects represent a first step toward products such as flat-pack furniture that assume their final shapes with the help of a heat gun. Emergency shelters also might be shipped flat and fold into shape under the warmth of the sun.
By Byoungkwon An*, Ye Tao*, Jianzhe Gu, Tingyu Cheng, Xiang 'Anthony' Chen, Xiaoxiao Zhang, Wei Zhao, Youngwook Do, Shigeo Takahashi, Hsiang-Yun Wu, Teng Zhang, Lining Yao (* Contributed Equally)
Publications: ACM CHI 2018 PDF | DOI
News: History TV Channel | CMU News | Dezeen | ZDNet | ALL3DP
Exhibitions: Ars Electronica 2018
Though we used a 3D printer with standard hardware, we replaced the machine’s open source software with their own code that automatically calculates the print speed and patterns necessary to achieve particular folding angles. The software is based on new curve-folding theory representing banding motions of curved area. The software based on this theory can compile any arbitrary 3-D mesh shape to an associated thermoplastic sheet in a few seconds without human intervention.Through an interactive, end-to-end design system, we wanted to see how self-assembly could be made more democratic—accessible to many users.
Special thanks to Autodesk’s Pier 9 Residency Program and Autodesk’s Pier 9 Technology Center, where the earlier development of the research was hosted. Additional appreciations to our external collaborators who are outside of Morphing Matter Lab, including Xiaoxiao Zhang and Prof. Teng Zhang for the finite element analysis, Shigeo Takahashi and Hsiang-Yun Wu for the flattening method on shape folding origami, Wei Zhao and Xiang 'Anthony' Chen for their UI frameworks.
Special thanks to Autodesk’s Pier 9 Residency Program and Autodesk’s Pier 9 Technology Center, where the earlier development of the research was hosted. Additional appreciations to our external collaborators who are outside of Morphing Matter Lab, including Xiaoxiao Zhang and Prof. Teng Zhang for the finite element analysis, Shigeo Takahashi and Hsiang-Yun Wu for the flattening method on shape folding origami, Wei Zhao and Xiang 'Anthony' Chen for their UI frameworks.
