SD4D

Sustainable Design of 4D Printed Active Systems

The aim of this project is to digitally design and 3D print lightweight, reconfigurable and active structures and robots that use less material, require no assembly, use fewer different materials to ease recyclability, adapt to the environment and task thus prolonging lifespan and exhibit increased durability so as to make them industrially relevant.

Using Additive Manufacturing (AM), we are currently able to design the geometry of parts to achieve customized performance, e.g. lightweight and personal customization. Through new multi-material AM processes we are also able to locally tune the material composition and "program" the material to create parts that have thus far unexploited functionalities, e.g. reconfiguration and actuation. This is the next generation of 3D printing and has been termed “4D printing”, i.e. 3D printed structures that change their shape after printing in response to the environment, as described in this scientific article.  

---

Scope of Research Activities

• Material characterization and design of multi-material joints and hinges
  
• Design of sustainable, lightweight, multi-material structures and parts
• 3D printed and “drop in” actuation systems for distributed, active surfaces and structures
• Computational design and optimization methods for 4D printing

---

Key Technical Problems to Solve

• Fatigue failure of active parts, e.g. hinges or joints
  
• Lack of integrated computational design, simulation and optimization methods
  

---

Demonstrators

• Automotive and Aerospace Panels: 4D printed panels with integrated multi-functionality and re-configurability achieved through both 3D printed actuators and “drop-in” actuators.
• Origami, reconfigurable robots: 3D printed robots, focusing on a context-sensitive gripper, that integrate several actuator types and modes of actuation for pick-and-place tasks.
  
  

---

Linked Scientific Publications

2022

• du Pasquier, C. and K. Shea (2022). "Validation of a nonlinear force method for large deformations in shape-morphing structures." Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization 65(3): 87.
• Wagner, M. A., A. Hadian, T. Sebastian, F. Clemens, T. Schweizer, M. Rodriguez-Arbaizar, E. Carreño-Morelli and R. Spolenak (2022). "Fused filament fabrication of stainless steel structures - from binder development to sintered properties." Additive Manufacturing 49: 102472.

2021

• du Pasquier, C. and K. Shea (2021). "Actuator placement optimization in an active lattice structure using generalized pattern search and verification." Smart Materials and Structures 30(11): 115007.
  
• Lumpe, T. S. and K. Shea (2021). "Computational design of 3D-printed active lattice structures for reversible shape morphing." Journal of Materials Research 36(18): 3642-3655.
  
• Sparrman, B., C. du Pasquier, C. Thomsen, S. Darbari, R. Rustom, J. Laucks, K. Shea and S. Tibbits (2021). "Printed silicone pneumatic actuators for soft robotics." Additive Manufacturing 40: 101860.
  
• Testoni, O., S. Christen, S. Bodkhe, A. Bergamini and P. Ermanni (2021). "A novel concept of modular shape-adaptable sandwich panel with distributed actuation based on shape memory alloys." Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures: 1045389X211057203.
• Testoni, O., T. Lumpe, J.-L. Huang, M. Wagner, S. Bodkhe, Z. Zhakypov, R. Spolenak, J. Paik, P. Ermanni, L. Muñoz and K. Shea (2021). "A 4D printed active compliant hinge for potential space applications using shape memory alloys and polymers." Smart Materials and Structures 30(8): 085004.
  

2020

• Bodkhe, S., L. Vigo, S. Zhu, O. Testoni, N. Aegerter and P. Ermanni (2020). "3D printing to integrate actuators into composites." Additive Manufacturing 35: 101290.
  
• Wagner, M. A., J.-L. Huang, P. Okle, J. Paik and R. Spolenak (2020). "Hinges for origami-inspired structures by multimaterial additive manufacturing." Materials & Design 191: 108643.
  

2019

• du  Pasquier, C., T. Chen, S. Tibbits and K. Shea (2019). "Design and Computational Modeling of a 3D Printed Pneumatic Toolkit for Soft Robotics." Soft Robotics 6(5): 657-663.
  
• Testoni, O., A. Bergamini, S. Bodkhe and P. Ermanni (2019). "Smart material based mechanical switch concepts for the variation of connectivity in the core of shape-adaptable sandwich panels." Smart Materials and Structures 28(2): 025036.
• Wagner, M. A., T. S. Lumpe, T. Chen and K. Shea (2019). "Programmable, active lattice structures: Unifying stretch-dominated and bending-dominated topologies." Extreme Mechanics Letters 29: 100461.

2018

• Huang, J.-L., Z. Zhakypov, H. Sonar and J. Paik (2018). "A reconfigurable interactive interface for controlling robotic origami in virtual environments." The International Journal of Robotics Research 37(6): 629-647.
  
• Zhakypov, Z., F. Heremans, A. Billard and J. Paik (2018). "An Origami-Inspired Reconfigurable Suction Gripper for Picking Objects With Variable Shape and Size." IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters 3(4): 2894-2901.
  

Leading Principal Investigator

Prof. Dr. Kristina Shea
Engineering Design and Computing Laboratory, ETH Zürich 

---

Project Consortium

• Prof. Dr. Ralph Spolenak, Laboratory for Nanometallurgy, ETH Zürich
  
• Prof. Dr. Paolo Ermanni, Laboratory for Composite Materials and Adaptive Structures, ETH Zürich
• Prof. Dr. Jamie Paik, Reconfigurable Robotics Lab, EPF Lausanne