Topology optimization and 3D printing of multimaterial magnetic actuators and displays

• Main Authors: Sundaram, Subramanian (Author), Skouras, Melina (Author), Kim, David Saerom (Author), van den Heuvel, Louise (Author), Matusik, Wojciech (Author)
• Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (Contributor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (Contributor)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2020-03-25T18:09:21Z.
• Subjects: Article
• Online Access: Get fulltext

 Upcoming actuation systems will be required to perform multiple tightly coupled functions analogous to their natural counterparts; e.g., the ability to control displacements and high-resolution appearance simultaneously is necessary for mimicking the camouflage seen in cuttlefish. Creating integrated actuation systems is challenging owing to the combined complexity of generating high-dimensional designs and developing multifunctional materials and their associated fabrication processes. Here, we present a complete toolkit consisting of multiobjective topology optimization (for design synthesis) and multimaterial drop-on-demand three-dimensional printing for fabricating complex actuators (>10⁶ design dimensions). The actuators consist of soft and rigid polymers and a magnetic nanoparticle/polymer composite that responds to a magnetic field. The topology optimizer assigns materials for individual voxels (volume elements) while simultaneously optimizing for physical deflection and high-resolution appearance. Unifying a topology optimization-based design strategy with a multimaterial fabrication process enables the creation of complex actuators and provides a promising route toward automated,goal-driven fabrication.