Creating meaningful scalable structures with shape changing textiles.

Textiles have the extraordinary capability to store energy in themselves both on material and structural level. In this class you will learn how to make use of this potential to create shape changing structures. Shape changing textiles are defined as structures that can shape change over time.

With four-dimensional textiles we build on the concept of 4D printing. In 4D printing structures are printed layer by layer that can change their shape. This process is usually slow, or the effect is relatively low. Integrating textile structures in these systems has proven to speed up the process and increase the effect height.

In this class we will be focusing on functionalizing textiles with additive manufacturing with 3D printing and wax. A prestressed textile is integrated into the printing process as a build surface. After the prestress is released, the structure turns from a two-dimensional shape into a three-dimensional shape with more than one equilibrium state.

In this class you will learn

- Printing with a 3D printer and manipulating the multilayer structures based on digital design in Rhino or other CAD-programs.

- To identify promising patterns to be printed on a textile. We will be mainly base these patterns on kirigami and origami structures since it has been proven that the principles of these structures allow scaling from micro to macro scale.

- Basic of technical aspects of these systems. Specifically, we will be analyzing effect height, curvatures, and delamination behavior. This will allow you to work in interdisciplinary teams when creating shape changing structures in the future.

- Learning from, iterating, and transforming these structures in meaningful objects by applying user-environment-interaction methods. Shape changing implies the understanding of the interaction between the environment and the material. You will learn mindsets to interact with the material.

Therefore, the class will have conceptual and rapid prototyping phases. The goal is the creation of a meaningful object, such as a protective hat, which can be presented at the end of semester.