Insect wing 3D printing

Kazuya Saito,Yoshihiro Kawahara,Naoki Ogawa,Kai Suto,Hiroto Nagai,Tomohiro Tachi,Young Ah Seong,Ryuma Niiyama

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-98242-y

Abstract

Insects have acquired various types of wings over their course of evolution and have become the most successful terrestrial animals. Consequently, the essence of their excellent environmental adaptability and locomotive ability should be clarified; a simple and versatile method to artificially reproduce the complex structure and various functions of these innumerable types of wings is necessary. This study presents a simple integral forming method for an insect-wing-type composite structure by 3D printing wing frames directly onto thin films. The artificial venation generation algorithm based on the centroidal Voronoi diagram, which can be observed in the wings of dragonflies, was used to design the complex mechanical properties of artificial wings. Furthermore, we implemented two representative functions found in actual insect wings: folding and coupling. The proposed crease pattern design software developed based on a beetle hindwing enables the 3D printing of foldable wings of any shape. In coupling-type wings, the forewing and hindwing are connected to form a single large wing during flight; these wings can be stored compactly by disconnecting and stacking them like cicada wings.

Highlights

Insects have acquired various types of wings over their course of evolution and have become the most successful terrestrial animals
The artificial venation program generates secondary veins using weighted centroidal Voronoi (WCV) patterns with selected weight parameters and directions. (e) Thrust test results. (f) Wing venation printed on PP film using an fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer. (g, h) First and second vibration modes of the AB-type wing simulated by Fusion 360
To design the bending and torsional properties of an entire wing as well as the stiffness and weight distribution of the membrane with simple FDM 3D printing, this study proposes a method that automatically generates secondary veins among the pre-designed primary veins, similar to actual insect wings

Summary

Introduction

Insects have acquired various types of wings over their course of evolution and have become the most successful terrestrial animals. The essence of their excellent environmental adaptability and locomotive ability should be clarified; a simple and versatile method to artificially reproduce the complex structure and various functions of these innumerable types of wings is necessary. This study presents a simple integral forming method for an insect-wing-type composite structure by 3D printing wing frames directly onto thin films. This research aims to establish a highly versatile method of implementing bioinspired designs from various types of insect wings, including complex mechanical properties and unique functions, using a simple method that anyone can realize, and to overcome the above-mentioned difficulty of knowledge sharing. We created three types of artificial wings: dragonfly, beetle, and cicada These models cover three important functions in insect wings: complex deformation during flight, folding, and coupling. PP has good material properties (high mechanical strength, heat resistance, and low specific weight) and is available in film shapes, such as packaging and envelopes

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Results

Conclusion