Tech Translated: 4D printing

4D printing isn’t just about enabling the development of innovative new products. If this technology can be effectively scaled, it could allow companies to merge the manufacturing and supply chain revolution of 3D printing with the economic efficiencies of the self-assembly distribution model—with, in some cases, a product that assembles itself.

“In its most basic form, this means a flat board could be shipped to a consumer and then turned into a complex piece of furniture simply through pointing a hair dryer at it. But this flat-pack concept could apply to objects as large as transmission towers, turbine blades, or emergency shelters,” Likens says. “These applications integrate closely with smart cities and cognitive buildings. 4D-printed objects perform their tasks automatically, as an inherent behavior of their design, without the need for active power delivery, and with dramatically reduced maintenance costs due to the lack of replaceable moving parts. It will be a key enabler of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”