Affiliation:
1. Lovely Professional University, India
Abstract
4D printing technology is destined to revolutionize the industrial world. These are some of its possible achievements and applications: 1) Medicine and surgery: in 2015, a medical team from Michigan University saved the lives of three babies with respiratory problems by inserting a 4D printed implant. This polycaprolactone device, designed to fit each patient, was designed to adapt its size to the child's growth and to dissolve itself when no longer necessary. 2) Clothing and footwear: 4D printing technology allows the manufacturing of clothing that adapts to the body's shape and movement. 3) Aeronautics and automotive: the NASA has developed an intelligent metallic fabric with 4D printing technology. Various applications of 4D printing are discussed in this chapter.