Shape-memory materials allows for creation of complex 3D-printed objects

US engineers have developed a method for creating complex self-folding structure for 3D printing.

The Georgia Institute of Technology have used components made from smart shape-memory materials with slightly different responses to heat to create 3D structures that sequentially fold themselves from components that had been flat or rolled into a tube.

When the components are heated, each smart shape memory polymer responds at a different rate to change its shape. By carefully timing these changes, 3D objects can be programmed to essentially self-assemble.

It is thought that the method could be applied to the creation of space structures, deployable medical devices, robots, toys and a range of other devices.

Jerry Qi, a professor in the George Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech, said the team "used a spatially uniform temperature which is easier to apply and then exploited the ability of different materials to internally control their rate of shape change through their molecular design".