Revolutionising textile manufacturing: a comprehensive review on 3D and 4D printing technologies

Abstract

Abstract An exhaustive and integrative overview of recent developments in 3D and 4D textiles based on Additive Manufacturing (AM) were provided in order to identify the current state‐of‐the‐art. Despite all scientific progress, AM applied on textiles is a challenging technique and is still at an embryonic stage of research and technological development (R&TD), mainly due to the technological gap between featured prototypes and scalability in manufacturing. Despite its full potential across a range of different applications, such as development of functional filament fibres/wires, 3D printing on textiles, 3D printing completed garments and 4D textiles, needs future developments. Although, AM applied on textiles, enables cost and resource efficiency for small scale production through localised production, shorten supply chain and demand driven manufacture, both customisable and scalable, embracing cost and environmental sustainability. The opportunities and limits of 3D and 4D printing textiles are also discussed. Finally, the conclusion highlights the potential future development and application of the convergence of advanced computational design techniques, product customization, mathematical modelling, simulation, and digital modelling within multifunctional textiles. Graphical Abstract

Keywords

• Textiles
• 3D printing
• 4D printing
• 4D textiles
• Fused deposition modelling (FDM)
• Selective laser sintering (SLS)