Abstract

Origami-inspired mechanisms combine compact, lightweight, reconfig- urable devices, yet despite decades of growth in origami theory, industrial uptake remains limited. As a result, origami predominately appears as prototypes or in low-volume, bespoke applications. Manufacturing (which has received little development) remains the chief bottleneck: most origami fabrication routes are still under-explored, labor-intensive, and fundamentally unsuited to scale. This dissertation addresses that barrier by establishing a process-centric framework for origami manufacturing and demonstrates fabrication workflows capable of transitioning designs from prototypes to production. A survey of more than 180 publications on origami manufacturing approaches yields a manufacturing-oriented taxonomy that links each surrogate fold family to known compatible geometry, material, and hybrid fabrication routes, enabling Design for Manufacturing and As- sembly (DfMA) decisions earlier in the origami design process. Building on this foundation, this work introduces a multiplanar manufacturing workflow--demonstrated with fused filament fabrication--that manu- factures crease patterns by splitting them into multiple planes. For the geometries examined, multiplanar manufacturing reduces build volume, material usage, and the number of folding steps by as much as 91%, 62%, 93%, respectively, relative to conventional single-plane methods. In parallel, this research develops a Bond-then-Form Sheet Lamination (ShL) workflow for origami mechanisms that uses laser cutting with controlled depth combined with selective adhesive deposition to create multilayer mechanisms while eliminating the need to register each com- ponent. Demonstrations including origami tessellations, an interactive board book, stacked inflatable actuators, and multilayer lamina emer- gent mechanisms confirm ShL's versatility and potential to scale from prototypes to industrial scale production. The work then assesses origami's potential in building technology. A review of topology morphing insulation insulation systems capable of toggling, on demand, between high-resistance (insulative) and low- resistance (conductive) states is presented. This topology morphing insulation, sets performance and cost targets, and identifies research milestones for market adoption. To validate feasibility of low-cost origami-inspired insulation, two Dynamic Radiant Barriers (DRBs)--Accordion and S-curve--are fabricated using ShL. Hot-box experiments and thermal simulations show that DRBs reduce attic heat flux by up to 42% in the insulating state, matching the performance of conventional static radiant barriers while allowing heat to flow in the conducting state. These designs are compatible with roll-to-roll manufacturing and are suitable for retrofitting existing buildings. They demonstrate origami's viability for large-scale, energy-efficient building envelopes. Collectively, these contributions furnish the design guides, intro- duce fabrication approaches, and dedicated manufacturing processes required to elevate origami mechanisms from bespoke mechanisms to scalable products in domains primed to benefit as origami manufacturing continues to mature.

Degree

PhD

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2025-10-14

Document Type

Dissertation

Keywords

origami, origami manufacturing, design, deployable structure, surrogate folds, hinges, joints, monolithic origami, surrogate fold catalog, surrogate fold manufacturing classification, multiplanar manufacturing, additive manufacturing, sheet lamination, thickness accommodation, compliant mechanisms, topology morphing insulation, switchable thermal insulation, building insulation, grid-responsive building envelopes, energy efficiency, energy savings, building energy, heat transfer, radiant barrier, reflective insulation, dynamic radiant barrier

Language

english

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