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Main Authors: Mungekar, Mrunmayi, Menon, Sanjith, Shankar, M. Ravi, Jawed, M. Khalid
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.22572
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author Mungekar, Mrunmayi
Menon, Sanjith
Shankar, M. Ravi
Jawed, M. Khalid
author_facet Mungekar, Mrunmayi
Menon, Sanjith
Shankar, M. Ravi
Jawed, M. Khalid
contents We present a simple, accessible method for autonomously transforming flat plastic sheets into intricate three-dimensional structures using only uniform heating and common tools such as household ovens and scissors. Our approach combines heat-shrinkable thermoplastics with Kirigami patterns tailored to the target 3D shape, creating bilayer composites that morph into a wide range of complex structures, e.g., bowls, pyramids, and even custom ergonomic surfaces like mouse covers. Critically, the transformation is driven by a low-information stimulus (uniform heat) yet produces highly intricate shapes through programmed geometric design. The morphing behavior, confirmed by finite element simulations, arises from strain mismatch between the contracting thermoplastic layer and the constraining Kirigami layer. By decoupling material composition from mechanical response, this method avoids detailed process control and enables a broad class of self-morphing structures, offering a versatile platform for adaptive design and scalable manufacturing.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_22572
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Directed Shape Morphing using Kirigami-enhanced Thermoplastics
Mungekar, Mrunmayi
Menon, Sanjith
Shankar, M. Ravi
Jawed, M. Khalid
Robotics
We present a simple, accessible method for autonomously transforming flat plastic sheets into intricate three-dimensional structures using only uniform heating and common tools such as household ovens and scissors. Our approach combines heat-shrinkable thermoplastics with Kirigami patterns tailored to the target 3D shape, creating bilayer composites that morph into a wide range of complex structures, e.g., bowls, pyramids, and even custom ergonomic surfaces like mouse covers. Critically, the transformation is driven by a low-information stimulus (uniform heat) yet produces highly intricate shapes through programmed geometric design. The morphing behavior, confirmed by finite element simulations, arises from strain mismatch between the contracting thermoplastic layer and the constraining Kirigami layer. By decoupling material composition from mechanical response, this method avoids detailed process control and enables a broad class of self-morphing structures, offering a versatile platform for adaptive design and scalable manufacturing.
title Directed Shape Morphing using Kirigami-enhanced Thermoplastics
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.22572