Autonomous origami: pre-programmed folding of inkjet printed structures

Abstract

Self-folding, whereby a 2D net autonomously folds into a pre-ordained 3D shape when exposed to a stimulus, shows potential, in a manner similar to 3D printing, as a means of easily customisable digital manufacture. It also presents some inherent advantages over conventional additive manufacturing techniques, such as the low cost associated with mass-production of polymer sheets and coatings, the compatibility with most planar manufacturing techniques, and the ease of storage and transportation. A self-folding mechanism was developed by inkjet printing silver nanoparticle suspensions onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets. By providing sufficient electrical power to the printed tracks, resistive heating causes folding to occur along the printed silver lines. A bilayer strip model was adapted to analyse the steady-state fold angle of the PET substrate, which shows good qualitative agreement, and reasonable quantitative agreement, with the experimental data. Furthermore, inkjet-printed silver tracks are known for a significant reduction in resistivity as the sintering temperature increases. Therefore, a power control system that utilises a real-time resistance sensor was developed to enable power reference tracking. The developed mechanism was able to achieve folds up to 90° and a fast actuation time of 35 s when 2.25 W was provided to a 3 mm by 40 mm silver track.