A 4D printing communication framework for designers and engineers

Abstract

“Communication is an essential part of any design process.” (Clarkson and Eckert) [1]. The rapid emergence and growth of 4D printing technology are expected to impact the technology's development significantly. Due to the high level of interest shown by the research and manufacturing sectors, the technology is expected to jump in its development rapidly. Since 4D Printing technology is still in the early stage, it is also required to focus on advancements in the progress of emerging needs for development in various areas such as application, design, materials, etc. This thesis investigates the communication barriers between designers and engineers in communicating the 4D Printing design process, which has revealed there are only ambiguous ways of communicating without standardization, which led to misinterpretation in the communication of the 4D Printing design process. This thesis aims to develop a concept of design representations that can be used to communicate the 4D Printing design process. The study proposed a communication framework for a communication tool to aid the communication barriers between designers and engineers in the 4D Printing design process to optimize the effectiveness of the 4D Printing technology through the design process. The 4D Printing communication framework has been developed from idea generation through a series of iterative stages to bridge the communication gaps. The communication framework aimed to guide how to constructively design representation symbols for effectively communicating in the 4D Printing design process. With the standardization of communication tools, the designer and engineer could fluently refine and connect their approach design ideas and maximize the potential of 4D Printing technology.