Mofang Precision and ZhiDuo 3D Unveil Multi-Material 4D Printing Solution for Functional Integration

As global additive manufacturing accelerates toward intelligent and functional production, the industry is evolving beyond single-material fabrication toward multi-material synergy—a necessary step for achieving functional integration and miniaturized smart components.

Recently, Chongqing Mofang Precision Technology Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen ZhiDuo 3D Technology Co., Ltd. announced a strategic partnership aimed at overcoming long-standing challenges in high-end manufacturing. Leveraging their respective technical strengths, the two companies jointly launched the microArch® M150 multi-material photopolymerization 4D printer, offering a groundbreaking solution that bridges precision manufacturing and intelligent material integration.

Addressing Core Industry Challenges

The M150 (optical precision: 25 μm) tackles traditional bottlenecks in 3D printing—such as poor material compatibility, limited precision, and difficulty integrating diverse functionalities. Supporting materials including rigid resins, elastomers, hydrogels, shape-memory polymers (SMPs), and conductive elastomers, the M150 enables multi-functional, multi-material integrated fabrication in a single process.

This innovation serves demanding applications in biomedicine, soft robotics, and aerospace, marking a leap from pure precision fabrication to intelligent functional manufacturing for global customers.

Core Technology: Centrifugal 4D Printing

4D printing represents an evolutionary step in additive manufacturing—merging smart materials and 3D structures to create components capable of controlled deformation or functional response under external stimuli such as heat, light, or chemical fields.

Mofang Precision and ZhiDuo 3D’s centrifugal photopolymerization technology enables high-speed multi-material fabrication. Using a 405 nm UV LED light source projected onto functional material surfaces, the system precisely cures each layer while the centrifugal platform rapidly clears residual resins, overcoming traditional barriers in material switching and contamination control.

The result is a printer capable of in-layer and inter-layer multi-material hybrid printing, producing highly complex, precise, and functionally integrated structures.

Four Major Technological Breakthroughs

1. Centrifugal Multi-Material Switching

Adjustable up to 10,000 rpm, the system completes material transitions in under 60 seconds, supporting 2,500 material swaps per print job. This ensures continuous, stable, and contamination-free multi-material fabrication—setting a new industry benchmark.

2. Proprietary Multi-Material Slicing Software

The custom-developed slicing system supports spatially distributed multi-material models, processing up to 500 slices per minute. This dramatically improves data handling and print preparation efficiency, accelerating workflows for complex component production.

3. Broad Material Compatibility

The printer accommodates viscosities from 5 to 5,000 cps, supporting an extensive material portfolio: rigid resins, elastomers, hydrogels, SMPs, and conductive elastomers—enabling cross-functional fabrication for diverse application scenarios.

4. Multi-Material Functional Integration

The M150 supports simultaneous printing of up to three materials, achieving seamless in-layer and inter-layer transitions (<100 μm). This capability ensures structural and functional synergy in graded material architectures, essential for next-generation smart components.

Application Prospects: From Research to Industrialization

Flexible Electronics

By combining conductive elastomers with elastic substrates, the M150 enables fully integrated flexible circuits. This innovation bridges the gap between rigid and flexible electronics, paving the way for lightweight, skin-conforming devices such as wearable sensors and biometric monitoring systems.

Microscale Robotics

Utilizing composite structures of rigid and toughened resins, the system overcomes the design and manufacturing challenges of miniature robotic systems. The result is micro-scale robots with integrated drive and transmission mechanisms—applicable to medical micro-manipulation and environmental sensing.

Biomedical Engineering

By merging hydrogels, rigid resins, and shape-memory polymers, the M150 facilitates the creation of biomimetic scaffolds and implantable medical devices. It can precisely reproduce biological microstructures, enabling personalized implants and stimuli-responsive biomedical systems.

Aerospace

Combinations of shape-memory polymers and conductive elastomers allow the production of adaptive aerospace components capable of self-actuation via environmental sensing. These structures maintain functionality under extreme conditions, supporting lightweight, reconfigurable spacecraft design.

Strategic Impact: Advancing Smart Precision Manufacturing

Global 4D printing faces two major challenges: microscale structural accuracy and smart material adaptability. Mofang Precision’s micron-level fabrication capabilities, combined with ZhiDuo 3D’s expertise in dynamic material switching, provide a comprehensive solution.

Their joint R&D initiative represents a key step toward industrial-scale manufacturing of functionally graded materials, unlocking innovation in soft robotics, flexible sensors, smart conductive components, and bioactive scaffolds.

As multi-material 4D printing expands across industries, it will herald a new era of adaptive, sustainable, and intelligent manufacturing—spanning from micro/nanoscale smart devices to macro-scale self-evolving structures. This technology will redefine how materials, structures, and functions coalesce to address complex engineering and societal challenges.