Effective software solutions for 4D printing: A review and proposal

In 4D printing, a target 3D object that can self-transform or self-assemble over time is created using a printer with smart materials. Since the advent of 4D printing, much research has been conducted on smart materials and application of 4D printing in diverse areas. However, research and development of 4D printing software is very limited due to the fact that 4D printing technology is still a novelty. Nevertheless, the time characteristics of 4D printing require appropriate 4D printing software to produce effective 4D printing outputs. In this article, we first introduce 4D printing technology and discuss its application in various fields. Then, we focus on the software required for 4D printing. More specifically, we present six types of software solutions needed to fully support corresponding stages in the 4D printing process: simulation, modeling, slicing, host/firmware, monitoring, and printing management software (PMS), respectively. We discuss how each software solution can sufficiently carry out the designated functions at each stage of the 4D printing process and propose that these software solutions can together provide all of the required operations for 4D printing.