Laser Actuation of 3D-Printed Microbeam with CNT as Functional Layer

We present a novel method to set in motion a 3D-printed microbeam using IR laser diode radiation. Thanks to this an intentional actuation, so-called 4D-printing, was achieved. As a smart material, for local absorption and conversion of IR radiation energy into heat, a carbon nanotube coating is used on the top microbeam surface. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this type of approach has not been presented in the literature so far and it offers a technological novelty in the field of 3D printed microactuators for MEMS.

Introduction

The additive manufacturing is a vast discipline that enables to use various materials and techniques. 3D-printing has allowed to obtain microscale structures for potential applications in the microsystem technology, especially in term of sensing, energy harvesting and actuation [1], [2]. In the 3D-printing predominantly are used polymers as a building material, which in turn has limited actuation capabilities. Therefore, reported actuated objects [3]-[5] to fulfill their function need an additional component to be attached, usually by manual methods.