Polylactic Acid Material Research Articles

Study of PLA pre-treatment, enzymatic and model-compost degradation, and valorization of degradation products to bacterial nanocellulose

It is well acknowledged that microplastics are a major environmental problem and that the use of plastics, both petro- and bio- based, should be reduced. Nevertheless, it is also a necessity to reduce the amount of the already spread plastics. These cannot be easily degraded in the nature and accumulate in the food supply chain with major danger for animals and human life. It has been shown in the literature that advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) modify the surface of polylactic acid (PLA) materials in a way that bacteria more efficiently dock on their surface and eventually degrade them. In the present work we investigated the influence of different AOPs (ultrasounds, ultraviolet irradiation, and their combination) on the biodegradability of PLA films treated for different times between 1 and 6 h. The pre-treated samples have been degraded using a home model compost as well as a cocktail of commercial enzymes at mesophilic temperatures (37 °C and 42 °C, respectively). Degradation degree has been measured and degradation products have been identified. Excellent degradation of PLA films has been achieved with enzyme cocktail containing commercial alkaline proteases and lipases of up to 90% weight loss. For the first time, we also report valorization of PLA into bacterial nanocellulose after enzymatic hydrolysis of the samples.

Enhancing Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed PLAs via Optimization Process and Statistical Modeling

This paper investigates the optimization of 3D printing by 1.75 mm filaments of poly-lactic acid (PLA) materials. The samples are printed separately and glued together to join the tensile device for the failure load and checking the surface roughness. The printing method in this research is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), in which the parameters of Infill Percentage (IP), Extruder Temperature (ET), and Layer Thickness (LT) are considered variable parameters for the 3D printer, and according to the Design of Experiments (DOE), a total of 20 experiments are designed. The parametric range is considered to be 15–55% for IP, 190–250 °C for ET, and 0.15–0.35 mm for LT. The optimization model is conducted according to the Response Surface Method (RSM), in which the ANOVA and plot tables are examined. Moreover, the samples’ maximum failure load, weight, fabrication time, and surface roughness are considered output responses. Statistical modeling shows that by increasing the IP and setting the ET at 220 °C, the failure load of the samples increases, and the maximum failure load reaches 1218 N. The weight and fabrication time of the specimen are optimized at the same time to achieve maximum failure load with less surface roughness. By comparing the predicted and actual output for the optimum samples, the percentage error for all results is less than 5%. The developed optimization method is revealed to be accurate and reliable for FDM 3D printing of PLAs.

Towards using a multi-material, pellet-fed additive manufacturing platform to fabricate novel imaging phantoms

The design freedom afforded by additive manufacturing (AM) is now being leveraged across multiple applications, including many in the fields of imaging for personalised medicine. This study utilises a pellet-fed, multi-material AM machine as a route to fabricating new imaging phantoms, used for developing and refining algorithms for the detection of subtle soft tissue anomalies. Traditionally comprising homogeneous materials, higher-resolution scanning now allows for heterogeneous, multi-material phantoms. Polylactic acid (PLA), a thermoplastic urethane (TPU) and a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) were investigated as potential materials. Manufacturing accuracy and precision were assessed relative to the digital design file, whilst the potential to achieve structural heterogeneity was evaluated by quantifying infill density via micro-computed tomography. Hounsfield units (HU) were also captured via a clinical scanner. The PLA builds were consistently too small, by 0.2 − 0.3%. Conversely, TPE parts were consistently larger than the digital file, though by only 0.1%. The TPU components had negligible differences relative to the specified sizes. The accuracy and precision of material infill were inferior, with PLA exhibiting greater and lower densities relative to the digital file, across the 3 builds. Both TPU and TPE produced infills that were too dense. The PLA material produced repeatable HU values, with poorer precision across TPU and TPE. All HU values tended towards, and some exceeded, the reference value for water (0 HU) with increasing infill density. These data have demonstrated that pellet-fed AM can produce accurate and precise structures, with the potential to include multiple materials providing an opportunity for more realistic and advanced phantom designs. In doing so, this will enable clinical scientists to develop more sensitive applications aimed at detecting ever more subtle variations in tissue, confident that their calibration models reflect their intended designs.

Mechanical performance and microscopic characterization of additively manufactured functionally graded material (WPC/Ceramic-PLA) via fused deposition modelling

During fabrication of complex polymeric structure engineers need to compromise either accuracy or duration which hinders the production efficiency of the industries. Additive manufacturing is an evolving technology with great potential to achieve enhanced mechanical properties of materials over other manufacturing processes. Additive manufacturing effectively reduces lead time thus providing faster fabrication. A prevalent additive manufacturing method to fabricate polymeric structure is fused deposition modelling. Composite material generally possesses better mechanical properties than non-composite material. Polylactic acid is one of popular feedstocks used to fabricate components through fused deposition modelling. Functionally graded materials are structured to possess different mechanical properties towards a graded direction. Hence, this study aims to provide insight to the characteristics of the functionally graded materials structure fabricated with wood polymer composite and ceramic-reinforced polylactic acid. Mechanical tests such as tensile (smooth and V-notch), compression, flexural, impact, and hardness (Shore D hardness) are conducted for functionally graded materials structure and the extracted results are compared with the characteristics of wood polymer composite and ceramic-reinforced polylactic acid materials. The tensile strength of the functionally graded materials structure is found superior to weaker composites (wood polymer composite) and comparable to resilient materials (ceramic-reinforced polylactic acid). Microscopical examinations are carried out for the fabricated structure to ensure the quality. The fractured surfaces are examined using optical microscope to evaluate the mode of failures. The microscopic evaluation conducted for fabricated and fractured structure indicates robust bonding within and between (functionally graded materials interface) wood polymer composite and ceramic-reinforced polylactic acid structure.

Engineered yeast for the efficient hydrolysis of polylactic acid

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a major contributor to the global bioplastic production capacity. However, post-consumer PLA waste is not fully degraded during non-optimal traditional organic waste treatment processes and can persist in nature for many years. Efficient enzymatic hydrolysis of PLA would contribute to cleaner, more energy-efficient, environmentally friendly waste management processes. However, high costs and a lack of effective enzyme producers curtail the large-scale application of such enzymatic systems. This study reports the recombinant expression of a fungal cutinase-like enzyme (CLE1) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which produced a crude supernatant that efficiently hydrolyses different types of PLA materials. The codon-optimised Y294[CLEns] strain delivered the best enzyme production and hydrolysis capabilities, releasing up to 9.44 g/L lactic acid from 10 g/L PLA films with more than 40% loss in film weight. This work highlights the potential of fungal hosts producing PLA hydrolases for future commercial applications in PLA recycling.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of filament and fused deposition modelling printed polylactic-acid and carbon-fiber reinforced polylactic-acid

Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is a popular additive manufacturing method involving the deposition of a molten filament along a specific path. In this paper, the microstructure and properties of the filament and the printed part are compared to understand the microstructure and property evolution during the printing process. Two commonly used materials Poly-lactic acid (PLA) and carbon fiber-reinforced PLA (CF + PLA) are used for the study. A thorough experimental campaign is undertaken to compare different properties including elastic properties (modulus, ultimate tensile strength, strain to failure), fiber length distribution, fiber orientation distribution, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and multiscale characterization of damage/mode of failure. The addition of CF reinforcement led to an increase in Young’s modulus and a reduction of the tensile strength for both the filament as well as printed coupons. There is extensive microstructural change during the printing process with major fiber breakage and increased misalignment. In general, Young’s modulus of the printed part is significantly lower than the filament whereas the strength depends on the printing orientation. Both the filament and printed part display complex modes of failure at multiple length scales. The damage modes for the filament and corresponding printed part are different with a strong dependence on the raster orientation for the latter. XRD confirms somewhat different amorphous behavior for the filament and printed part.

Designing Strong, Tough, Fluorescent, and UV-Shielding PLA Materials by Incorporating a Phenolic Compound-Based Multifunctional Modifier.

The realization of high stiffness, high extensibility, and multi-functions for polylactic acid (PLA) is a vital issue for its practical applications. Herein, hydroxyalkylated tannin acid (mTA), a phenolic compound-based modifier with plentiful flat aromatic structures and flexible isopropanol oligomers, is designed and fabricated to act as the multifunctional modifier for PLA. The mTA exhibits the capability of emitting fluorescence and blocking UV light due to the combination of flat aromatic structures and plentiful flexible chains. Besides, mTA with high grafting degree (h-mTA) shows an excellent compatibility to PLA due to the hydrogen bonding interface and the high affinity of grafted isopropanol oligomers to PLA. As a result, the as-prepared PLA/h-mTA20 composite exhibits a strikingly improved extensibility by 61.2 times while maintaining the high yield strength of PLA. Moreover, PLA/h-mTA can serve as a fluorescent material with multi-mode responsiveness as well as a UV-shielding material with high transparency. We envision that this work opens a novel yet facile way to prepare a strong, tough, and multifunctional PLA material with expanded application scopes and will promote the practical applications of phenolic compounds in polymers.

Development of biodegradable customized tibial scaffold with advanced architected materials utilizing additive manufacturing

In the last decade, the development of customized biodegradable scaffolds and implants has attracted increased scientific interest due to the fact that additive manufacturing technologies allow for the rapid production of implants with high geometric complexity constructed via commercial biodegradable polymers. In this study, innovative designs of tibial scaffold in form of bone-brick configuration were developed to fill the bone gap utilizing advanced architected materials and bio-inspired diffusion canals. The architected materials and canals provide high porosity, as well as a high surface area to volume ratio in the scaffold facilitating that way in the tissue regeneration process and in withstanding the applied external loads. The cellular structures applied in this work were the Schwarz Diamond (SD) and a hybrid SD&FCC hybrid cellular material, which is a completely new architected material that derived from the combination of SD and Face Centered Cubic (FCC) structures. These designs were additively manufactured utilizing two biodegradable materials namely Polylactic acid (PLA) and Polycaprolactone (PCL), using the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technique, in order to avoid the surgery, for the scaffold's removal after the bone regeneration. Furthermore, the additively manufactured scaffolds were examined in terms of compatibility and assembly with the bone's physical model, as well as, in terms of mechanical behavior under realistic static loads. In addition, non-linear finite element models (FEMs) were developed based on the experimental data to accurately simulate the mechanical response of the examined scaffolds. The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) results were compared with the experimental response and afterwards the stress concentration regions were observed and identified. Τhe proposed design of scaffold with SD&FCC lattice structure made of PLA material with a relative density of 20% revealed the best overall performance, showing that it is the most suitable candidate for further investigation (in-vivo test, clinical trials, etc.) and commercialization.

The role of 3-dimensional printed models in the management of the distal radius fractures.

This study aimed to compare inter- and intra-observer agreement between radiographs with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional computed tomography scans with and without 3-dimensional printed models in the evaluation of the distal radius fracture of Association for Osteo synth esis/ Ortho paedi c Trauma Association type C classification. Fifteen consecutive cases with X-Rays, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional computed tomography reconstructions views, and 3-dimensional printed models were selected. Three-dimensional printed models of the distal radius fractures were created using 2-dimensional computed tomography scan files in Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine format, processed with the 3-dimensional Slicer software, and segmented, creating a 3-dimensional printed model in Standard Triangle Language format. Threedimensional models were printed using fused deposition modeling (FDM) type 3D printer Zortrax M200Plus using polylactic acid material on a scale of 1 : 1. Twenty observers were invited into the study. Intra- and inter-observer reliability was analyzed using Fleiss' kappa statistics. Overall kappa values for both groups in interobserver agreement range from 0.113 to 0.283 and in intra-observer agreement from 0.25 to 0.545. Generally, inter-observer agreement increased with additional 3-dimensional printed models from slight to fair, and intra-observer agreement increased from fair to moderate. Surgeons' opinions about 3-dimensional printed models with Likert scale-type questions show positive overall results ranging from 8.3± 2.1 to 8.6 ± 1.4. This study has shown that the inter- and intra-observer agreement with the addition of a 3-dimensional printed model for the evaluation of the distal radius fractures of Association For Osteo synth esis/ Ortho pedic Trauma Association C type for classification, fractures morphology, and preoperative planning tends to increase; however, improvements for an inter-observer agreement remain fair. Level III Diagnostic Study.

Additive manufacturing of recycled plastics: a ‘techno-eco-efficiency’ assessment

Plastic materials have been widely used to replace metals in functional parts due to their lower cost and comparable technical properties. However, the increasing use of virgin plastic material in consumer and industrial applications has placed a significant burden on waste management due to the volume of waste created and the potential negative effects of its end-of-life processing. There is a need to adopt circular economy strategies such as plastic recycling within industrial applications in order to reduce this significant waste management pressure. The present study used recycled polylactic acid (PLA) material as a feedstock for the 3D printing of a centrifugal semi-open pump impeller. The technical performance of 3D printed recycled PLA material and virgin PLA material was compared in this study. The environmental impacts for technically feasible impellers were assessed through the environmental life cycle assessment, while costs were evaluated by life cycle costing. The results were incorporated into a techno-eco-efficiency framework to compare the technical properties, environmental impacts, and costs. The social impacts of additive manufacturing and recycled feedstock material were also explored. The technical assessment results indicated that tensile strength, fatigue strength, density, and hardness decreased with recycled material content compared to virgin material. Microscopy of the fracture surfaces revealed the presence of slightly higher porosity and defects in recycled specimens, which could result in slightly lower technical properties. However, the recycled material was accepted for further ecological analysis as it offered higher pumping performance when compared to the original component and could reduce the burden on virgin material-based production and waste material disposal. Importantly, the results showed that 3D printed recycled PLA impellers are more eco-efficient when compared to 3D printed virgin PLA impellers.

Design and Simulation of a Customize Three-axis Gimbal Structure using Finite Element Analysis Method

This paper presents a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on a customized three-axis gimbal design application. Examples of applications of the gimbals such as drones, camera stabilizers, and spacecraft. The SolidWorks software checked the gimbal’s FEA characteristics with no existing load or normal conditions. Using the FEA method, a static simulation analysis where the material of this assembly design uses Polylactic Acid (PLA), used mainly by 3D printer machines. The force is given to the gimbal structure and obtains the results of the maximum value of stress in MPa, displacement in mm, and strain. Thus, based on the results obtained from SolidWorks, the structure will not fail. The maximum stress value between parts is 2.31 MPa for the support part and 3.09 MPa for the assembly model when the yield stress value of the PLA material properties is at 70 MPa. The new design structure for the gimbal hardware focuses on academic purposes based on PLA material and is easy to build using a 3D printer. In the summary, the customized three-axis gimbal design using SolidWorks will not fracture when the design is in normal condition which has a total force of 6.87 N, which is equal to 0.70 kg at 3.09 MPa where the weight of the base, O-ring, and servo motors at the U-shape part. In addition, the design can hold up to 230.87 N, which is equal to 23.54 kg at 69.90 MPa of the stress value before it will fail at 70 MPa.

Excellent performance of hybrid model manufactured via additive manufacturing process reinforced with GFRP for sport climbing equipment

The figure eight model was successfully manufactured, analyzed, and characterized in the present study. The model was manufactured via 3D printing fused deposition modelling (FDM) and then reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRP). There are three different designs in figure eight that are examined, and each design is made using 3D printing FDM and coated with GFRP, a hybrid material, as shown. Specimens that have been made from each design are then evaluated by tensile test, hardness test, surface roughness test, and density test. The results showed that the hybrid figure eight lamination with polylactic acid (PLA) and GFRP material could increase the tensile strength by more than two times higher. The highest tensile strength lies in design 1 with 4977, 3 N. Moreover, the highest hardness value occurred for design two at 75.1 Shore D, and the highest average density lies in design three at 1.2 g/mm3. The study also showed that the lowest cost occurred in hybrid design three at $ 1.2 per item. Based on the present study, the GFRP reinforcement can extend the model’s performance with affordable cost and retain figure eight from the failure.

Mechanical analysis and additive manufacturing of 3D-printed lattice materials for bone scaffolds

In this study, we have explored the potential application of three-dimensional (3D) lattice-structured materials in the bone scaffold implants by investigating the mechanical strength and porosity of various strut-based lattice designs. The aim is to propose a scaffold design that is strong enough to support the surrounding bone structure. Furthermore, the design should be porous enough to provide effective permeability that allows the integration of bone cells. Therefore, four different lattice-structured material samples with equal dimension of 50 mm in length, width, and height comprising of twenty-five lattice unit cells are designed and fabricated by Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing technique using polylactic acid (PLA) material. The samples have been investigated under compression loads by means of the universal test machine and then the strength of each lattice is measured. Furthermore, the porosity of each design is calculated to complete the investigation on the balance between the mechanical strength and porosity. Finally, the chosen lattice structured material from the investigation steps is prototyped into the imaginary damaged femur bone and fabricated with additive manufacturing to demonstrate the closed loop of design and implementation process.

Biomimetic Polylactic Acid Electrospun Fibers Grafted with Polyethyleneimine for Highly Efficient Methyl Orange and Cr(VI) Removal.

The rapid growth of industrialization has resulted in the release of large quantities of pollutants into the environment, especially dyes and heavy metals, which are environmentally hazardous for humans and animals. It is considered as the most promising and environmentally friendly route to develop green materials by using the green modification method, which has no negative impact on the environment. In this work, the green material of polylactic acid (PLA) was used as the substrate material, and a novel modification method of polydopamine (PDA)-assisted polyethyleneimine (PEI) grafting was developed. The electrospun PLA fibers are mainly composed of stereocomplex crystallites, which were achieved via the electrospinning of poly(l-lactic acid) and poly(d-lactic acid). The water-soluble PEI was grafted onto the PDA-modified PLA fibers through the glutaraldehyde-assisted cross-linking reaction. The prepared composite fibers can be degraded, which is environmentally friendly and meets the requirements of sustainable development. The potential application of such PLA composite fibers in wastewater treatment was intensively evaluated. The results show that at appropriate fabrication conditions (PDA concentration of 3 g·L-1 and a PEI molecular weight of 70,000 g·mol-1), the composite fibers exhibit the maximum adsorption capacities of 612 and 398.41 mg·g-1 for methyl orange (MO) and hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], respectively. Simultaneously, about 64.79% of Cr(VI) adsorbed on the composite fibers was reduced to Cr(III). The above results show that the PLA composite fibers have a good development prospect in the field of wastewater treatment.

Mechanical characterization of additively manufactured polymers using ultrasonic nondestructive testing

Ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) can be used to relate the print settings of additively manufactured polymers to their macroscopic elastic properties. We present a comparison of the measurement of angle- and frequency-dependent ultrasonic transmission through a flat plate to predictions using a multiscale model that considers infill geometry and constitutive material properties. The experiment is an immersion test that uses a point source and synthetic linear array to measure the transmission coefficient from 0.2 to 1 MHz over a wide range of incident angles. Samples were fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) to print infilled plates with polylactic acid (PLA) filament. Transmission measurements were compared to predictions from a multiscale model consisting of a finite element model to predict the effective anisotropic stiffness based on an assumed infill geometry and PLA material properties and an acoustic reflection-transmission model for an anisotropic elastic plate submerged in water based on the work of Rokhlin and Wang [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 112, 822 (2002)]. Minimization of the difference between the measured and modeled transmission coefficient for all angles and frequencies by varying model inputs provides an improved understanding of the effects of the print settings on the as-built mechanical properties for 3D-printed materials.

Research on Process and Mechanical Properties of PLA Composites in Melt Deposition Molding Based on Computer Software Analysis

Fused deposition polylactic acid (PLA) von berg system materials have been widely used in automotive, aerospace and other fields, and in these areas, inevitably need under static load and dynamic load, so the fused deposition PLA materials under quasi-static and dynamic loading of mechanical properties, establish its parameters such as temperature and strain rate, and constitutive model is related to material performance evaluation and optimization of fused deposition parameters and key for promoting the development of the fused deposition technology.

Numerical Analysis of a Transtibial Prosthesis Socket Using 3D-Printed Bio-Based PLA

Lower-limb prosthesis design and manufacturing still rely mostly on the workshop process of trial-and-error using expensive unrecyclable composite materials, resulting in time-consuming, material-wasting, and, ultimately, expensive prostheses. Therefore, we investigated the possibility of utilizing Fused Deposition Modeling 3D-printing technology with inexpensive bio-based and bio-degradable Polylactic Acid (PLA) material for prosthesis socket development and manufacturing. The safety and stability of the proposed 3D-printed PLA socket were analyzed using a recently developed generic transtibial numeric model, with boundary conditions of donning and newly developed realistic gait cycle phases of a heel strike and forefoot loading according to ISO 10328. The material properties of the 3D-printed PLA were determined using uniaxial tensile and compression tests on transverse and longitudinal samples. Numerical simulations with all boundary conditions were performed for the 3D-printed PLA and traditional polystyrene check and definitive composite socket. The results showed that the 3D-printed PLA socket withstands the occurring von-Mises stresses of 5.4 MPa and 10.8 MPa under heel strike and push-off gait conditions, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum deformations observed in the 3D-printed PLA socket of 0.74 mm and 2.66 mm were similar to the check socket deformations of 0.67 mm and 2.52 mm during heel strike and push-off, respectively, hence providing the same stability for the amputees. We have shown that an inexpensive, bio-based, and bio-degradable PLA material can be considered for manufacturing the lower-limb prosthesis, resulting in an environmentally friendly and inexpensive solution.

Optimization of 3D Printed Rapid Prototype Deep Drawing Tools for Automotive and Railway Sheet Material Testing

The main objective of this research is to identify optimal printing strategies and PLA (polylactic acid) filament materials to produce rapid prototype deep drawing tools. Additive 3D printing technologies have been applied for a long time to produce tools, but the research is unique in that it uses conventional and various reinforced PLA materials with conventional FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printers. The advantage of this method is that PLA is easy to print and recycle and does not require expensive or special printers, this also gives the article its novelty. A further aim was to produce the tools using commercially available low-end printers. DX53D 0.8 mm thick body steel and AlMg3 2.5 mm thick sheet were the materials to be molded for the tests. The test tool was an Erichsen deep drawing punch. Tool wear was tested using the GOM ATOS measuring system, an optical coordinate measuring machine based on the DIC (Digital Image Correlation) principle, which is also popular in the automotive industry. The study aims to determine the 3D printing and material parameters that can safely produce a minimum batch of 100 parts.

Characterisation of 3D printed meta-structure PLA substrate for patch antenna applications in S-Band

ABSTRACT A novel approach for the dielectric characterisation of 3D printed substrates in S-band applications of patch antennas with different infill percentages is presented in this paper. The meta-structure substrate design has been 3D printed with a fused deposition modelling technique using bio-sourced material poly-lactic acid (PLA). Combining different infill patterns changes the dielectric parameters, and hence, the RF(Radio-Frequency) performance of the design. To validate the usefulness of this approach, the Taguchi sampling technique is used, where nine samples of a meta-structure substrate were designed to determine the dielectric properties of the substrate. The ring resonator technique is used for measuring the dielectric constant and loss tangent of the fabricated substrates. All nine meta-structure substrate shows varying dielectric properties, which can be used for tuning of RF characteristics of the patch antenna. The measured permittivity of various substrate structures ranges between 2.39 and 2.71. The concept of propagation delay is chosen as the selective parameter for the fabrication of the antenna. The results of antenna simulation and fabrication were mapped closely. The proposed meta-structure design antenna resonates at 2.43 GHz with an S 11 of −26.60 dB. Gain enhancement of 5% is seen in the selected meta-structure design compared with the simple (solid) structure. This meta-structure substrate design approach using different patterns is simple, scalable and can be realised in other 3D printed antenna applications.

Sustainable 4D printing of magneto-electroactive shape memory polymer composites

Typical techniques for creating synthetic morphing structures suffer from a compromise between quick shape change and geometric complexity. A novel approach is proposed for encoding numerous shapes and forms by magneto-electroactive shape memory polymer composite (SMPC) structures and integrating sustainability with 4D printing (4DP) technology. Electrically driven, remote controllability, and quick reaction are the features of these sustainable composite structures. Low-cost 4D-printed SMPC structures can be programmed remotely at high temperatures to achieve multi-stable shapes and can snap repeatedly between all programmed temporary and permanent configurations. This allows for multiple designs in a single structure without wasting material. The strategy is based on a knowledge of SMPC mechanics, magnetic response, and the manufacturing idea underlying fused deposition modelling (FDM). Iron-filled magnetic polylactic acid (MPLA) and carbon black-filled conductive PLA (CPLA) composite materials are investigated in terms of microstructure properties, composite interface, and mechanical properties. Characterisation studies are carried out to identify how to control the structure with a low magnetic field. The shape morphing of magneto-electroactive SMPC structures is studied. FDM is used to 4D print MPLA and CPLA adaptive structures with 1D/2D-to-2D/3D shapeshifting by the magnetic field. The benefits of switchable multi-stable structures are reducing material waste and effort/energy and increasing efficiency in sectors such as packaging.Graphical