Towards Self-Assembling 3D-Printed Shapes Through Βiomimetic Μechanical Interlocking.

While early studies on macroscopic self-assembly peaked in the late 20th century, recent research continues to explore and expand the field's potential through innovative materials and external control strategies. To harness this potential, a unit cell was designed and 3D-printed that could form a face-centered cubic lattice and stabilize it through a biomimetic mechanism for mechanical interlocking. The wing coupling structures of the brown marmorated stink bug were examined under a scanning electron microscope to be used as a source of bio-inspiration for the interlocking mechanism. A total of 20 unit cells were studied in five different self-assembly processes and in different compression scenarios. A maximum average of 34% of unit cells remained stable, and 20% were mechanically interlocked after self-assembly tests. The compression tests performed on a single unit cell revealed that the cell can withstand forces up to 1000 N without any plastic deformation. Pyramid configurations from 5-unit cells were manually assembled and assessed in compression tests. They showed an average compression force of 294 N. As the first study focused on self-assembly through mechanical interlocking, further studies that change the unit cell production and self-assembly processes are expected to improve upon these results.