An Approach to Sequential Self-folding of Planar Sheet using Aluminium

Self-folding can transform a planar sheet into a 3-dimensional object autonomously. The application itself is an attractive feature in robotics, packaging, assembly and other fields but there are still challenges to achieve self-folding in a sequential manner especially when complex geometry is involved. This paper will introduce a simple approach to sequential and self-folding of a planar sheet with simple and complex geometry. The planar sheet is comprised of multiple layers of commercially available materials such as aluminium, thermo-responsive polymer sheet, paper and SMA. To achieve sequential self-folding, the multi-layer sheet is designed to utilize the differences between the thermal properties of the materials, the width of exposure to heat of the polymer sheet as well as the geometry design of the target structure. The integration of properties and the manipulation of parameters are keys to achieve a successful sequential self-folding of the multi-layer sheet to form a target 3D object.