ABSTRACT
One of the technologies that is expanding the fastest is 3D printing, which is well known around the world. We can make significant advancements thanks to this technology in a wide range of spheres in our lives. The use of 3D printing technology has the potential to revolutionise a number of industries, including medicine, industrial structures, education, and the automotive industry. Since its inception, 3D printing has been extremely popular and is used in fields like prototyping, engineering, and the medical industry. This is partly because of its ability to swiftly and easily turn digital 3D data into actual physical products. Geometric shapes that are static and unsuited for multipurpose usage can be printed using 3D printing. When scientists merged 3D printing with smart materials, they created 4D printing. Following the usage of conversional 3D printing technologies, such as fused deposition modelling (FDM) and selective laser sintering, 4D printing exploits the fourth dimension of time to generate shape-morphing 3D printed items when subjected to stimuli. The 4D printing process uses 3D technology, but the fourth dimension is time instead of space. 4D printing has the promise of streamlining the design and production of various items and has the enormous potential to produce parts that self-actuate to respond to their surroundings. Applications for 4D printing include the creation of multidirectional constructions and patterned surfaces for optical, as well as medicinal devices and security systems. This chapter provides a thorough analysis of 4D printing technology and its uses in the industrial sector. The forecasts for the near future of 4D printing technology were also addressed in this chapter.
