Biomimetics and 3D printing - Opportunities for design applications

Incorporating and drawing analogies from natural systems has always been an important consideration for designers, however owing to the complexity involved in the natural systems, mimicking natural systems and developing systems with conventional technologies is difficult. With the advent of additive manufacturing and its intrinsic nature, the technology of additive manufacturing can be employed for developing 3D-printed parts. The current paper is structured in a manner to focus on how biomimetics can be better augmented with the design of various engineering systems. A section will highlight the various types of natural systems which can help improve the design process. A special discussion on the various application areas of biomimetics such as architecture, biomedical, aerospace has also been included. A systematic literature review of the work carried out in the area of 3D printing and biomimetics is also presented in this chapter. Few applications namely biomimetic sniffing, biomimetic shark skin, and biomimetic lotus root are profoundly discussed. The paper ends with the challenges associated with the current technologies, economic aspects, and future recommendations.