Magnetic soft materials are a newly developed material that can transform into programmed shapes when it is placed in an external magnetic field. It is made out of silicone with embedded magnetic particles that lay in magnetization patterns due to 3D printing them under a magnetic field. Its characteristics are fast, remotely controlled, reversible and heatless shape transformations. Because the material is new, not much is known about the parameters, how they are made or how they influence the performance of the material. The number of possible applications for this material is also very limited. This graduation project has addressed both these topics by using factorial designed experiments to understand different parameters of the magnetic soft material ink as well as starting the setup of the 4D printer system with which the material can be fabricated.

A design process was also done in which new idea directions have been identified. These were haptics, personalized fits, texture change, replacement of vulnerable mechanical parts, milli devices and scaffolding, and toys. A concept for a demonstrator was made to explain the material to designers and researchers and inspire them. It was a cleaning tool for hard to enter spaces. In the ink development, the influence of different ingredients was discovered as well as how they influence the viscosity of the ink, which is an important factor for the 3D printer system. The viscosity of the last measured ink, which was magnetized, was 500% higher than the viscosity limit of the 3D printer system. The 3D printer system should therefore be reconsidered for a new research project. In the end, also a proof of principle was made which showed the feasibility that magnetic soft material can be made.

This graduation project is the starting point of magnetic soft material at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. Even though the first parameters have been researched, much work remains to be done to fully understand magnetic soft materials.

Magnetic soft materials (MSMs) and magnetic shape memory polymers (MSMPs) have been some of the most intensely investigated newly developed material types in the last decade, thanks to the great and versatile potential of their innovative characteristic behaviors such as remote and nearly heatless shape transformation in the case of MSMs. With regard to a number of properties such as shape recovery ratio, manufacturability, cost or programming potential, MSMs and MSMPs may exceed conventional shape memory materials such as shape memory alloys or shape memory polymers. Nevertheless, MSMs and MSMPs have not yet fully touched their scientific-industrial potential, basically due to the lack of detailed knowledge on various aspects of their constitutive response. Therefore, MSMs and MSMPs have been developed slowly but their importance will undoubtedly increase in the near future. This review emphasizes the development of MSMs and MSMPs with a specific focus on the role of the magnetic particles which affect the shape memory recovery and programming behavior of these materials. In addition, the synthesis and application of these materials are addressed.