N E W S
www.engineeringnews.co.nz 13
4D Printing: The fourth dimension Human beings have five senses; sight, hearing, smell, taste
and touch. But what about intuition? Some people refer to
this as the sixth sense. Now, a new manufacturing technique
is adding an extra dimension ─ or a sixth sense ─ to products
with applications as varied as aerospace and medical. Additive
manufacturing is no longer only in three dimensions, but four.
Jonathan Wilkins, director at automation equipment supplier
EU Automation, says there are many ways that 4D printing will
impact.
3D printing is a form of additive manufacturing, where products
are built up layer by layer, rather than machined away from a
larger block of material. With the technology about to enter its
fourth decade, the future looks promising for industries that
invest in 3D. The technique of 3D printing in plastic and metal
is growing in popularity as manufacturers use it for serialised
production as well as for prototyping. Now a new technology,
4D printing, promises to take this one step further by enabling
manufacturers to produce smart, adaptable products.
4D printing, says Johnathan, brings all the benefits of its
predecessor but adds adaptability as an additional feature.
While you could additively manufacture a compressor inlet
temperature sensor for a jet engine or a heat exchanger
on a car, it wouldn’t be able to adapt to external factors like
heat, vibration or moisture. 4D printing adds an additional
dimension ─ the ability to change over time.
4D printing is based on similar technologies to 3D printing,
but uses smart polymers, programmed to remember shapes
when they are printed. This means that the final product is
pre-programmed to respond to a specific stimulus without
external intervention.
An application for this could be manufacturing a knee
ligament that changes position or size following an alteration
in body temperature or increased pressure on the leg
muscles, to improve comfort for the patient.
Manufacturers now have a fresh opportunity to design
innovative products that are flexible and adaptable to
improve the performance of a component in a specific
application.
Similar self-assembling and shape-changing technologies
have previously relied on electricity and robotics in order
to fold and bend. 4D-printed products, however, require
only heat, water or vibration as an energy source and are
therefore more easily activated.
As well as generating parts that can adapt to heat and
improve functionality, such as components in ovens and
washing machines, 4D-printed objects could have powerful
applications in medical implants. For example, a tracheal
stent ─ a tube placed inside a patient to enable breathing
─ could be manufactured with a seal that responds to a
certain amount of pressure or water to help keep a patient
safe. Further applications could include components for
optical engineering and aerospace manufacturing, such as
vibration-insensitive laser interferometers which are critical
for space-based telescope programs.
“Men can find it hard to talk about their health.
I hope we can raise awareness around prostate
cancer but also encourage men to get
tested and talk more openly about health-related
issues,” says Mr Manley.
Prostate Cancer Foundation ceo, Graeme
Woodside, says it is great to have NZ Crane
Hire on board as a major sponsor.
“It’s important for business owners like
Deane to take the lead and help us break
down the stigma around getting tested.
We’re so excited to have NZ Crane on board
as a major sponsor this year,” he says.
Pedal4Prostate raises vital funds to support
the Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand.
For more information and to register,
visit https://pedal4prostate.org.nz/
– Erin Black, Associate Business
Development Team Leader, Beca,
Christchurch; Eleanor Jackson,
Residential Manager, Viridian
Glass Ltd Partnership, Auckland;
Kathryn Kitchen, Manager/
Director, Fisher Aluminium,
Gisborne; Rebecca Macdonald,
Principal Wastewater Engineer,
Jacobs Ltd, Christchurch;
Leonie Metge, Manager, Cube
Dentro, Pukekohe; Victoria Read,
Director, Aspect Architecture,
Martinborough; Simone Sharp,
Associate Director - Project
Management Team Leader,
AECOM New Zealand, Auckland.
Rising Star, Site – Tracy
Clearwater, Joiner, Nigel Molloy
Joinery, Winton; Sarah Duggan,
Surveyor, Beca, Wellington;
Stephanie Kirk, Environmental
Scientist, Beca, Hamilton; Morgan
Raby, Project Engineer, HEB
Structures, Auckland
Rising Star, Office – Melanie
John, Kitchen Designer, Cube
Dentro, Takanini; Lisa Mace,
Senior Process Engineer, Beca,
Christchurch; Gaya Paranisamy,
Cost Manager, Beca, Wellington;
Neha Sharma, Transport Engineer,
Jacobs Ltd, Wellington; Evie
Wallace, Process Engineer, Beca,
Christchurch
Excellence in Construction
Administration – Krissy Danford,
Business Administrator/
Finance Manager, Johnstone
Construction, Auckland;
Gillian Darroch, Health and
Safety and Training Convenor,
MetroPerformance Glass, Mt
Maunganui; Jessica Drummond,
Corporate Services Manager,
Miyamoto International,
Christchurch; Alison Glover,
Health & Safety and Admin,
Lawton Building, Auckland; Tracy
Shaw, People and Performance
Advisor, Higgins, Hawkes Bay;
Kylie Wech, Contract Manager,
Downer, Whangarei
Outstanding Achievement in
Design – Sarah Hewlett Diprose,
Associate Principal, Warren
& Mahoney, Auckland; Hedda
Oosterhoff, National Architectural
Manager, T & R Interior Systems,
Wellington; Sally Reid, Director,
Nagel Consultants, New Plymouth;
Barbara van Zyl, Associate
Principal, Jasmax, Auckland;
Xinyi Wong, Associate-Buildling
Services, Beca, Auckland
Student or Apprentice
Excellence Award – Corrina
Bohny, Contract Construction,
Apprentice Carpenter; Kirsty
Currie, Apprentice Carpenter,
Beelee Homes Ltd, Dunedin;
Georgia Danford, Administration
& Accounts Assistant, Johnstone
Construction, Auckland; Melanie
John, Kitchen Designer, Cube
Dentro, Takanini; Divya Kataria,
Student, AUT Auckland; Danielle
Platt, Quantity Surveyor, Rider
Levett Bucknell, Christchurch;
Paris Ternent-James, Apprentice
Carpenter, MB Brown Ltd,
Masterton; Anna Winskill-Moore,
Apprentice builder, Osborne
Brothers Construction, Dunedin
*Please note; award winners will
have been found by the time of
print.
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