Multi-Crease Self-Folding by Uniform Heating

Abstract

This paper presents a self-folding method for multi-creasestructures. The proposed method utilizes the symmetric breaking of a 3-layered two-dimensional sheet, where an inner contraction sheet induces shear force when heated, which directs the inclined folding direction. The fabrication technique developed enables distant placements of tiling patterns of the surfaces. The experimental result shows that by applying uniform heat, a feature with 62 folds can be simultaneously folded, an advantage over manual folding. The method presented is a new instant fabrication technique for making semi-rigid structures.