4D printing is a kind of additive manufacturing which uses 3D printing to make the printed structure have the function of responding to external stimulus

shape changing or performance changing. The processes of 4D printing technology

such as 4D printing based on shape memory materials

4D printing based on biomimetic composite structures and 4D printing based on field-driven smart structures

are summarized. The problems of existing 4D printing technology

such as discontinuous deformation process

difficult to prepare and difficult to realize controllable deformation

are analyzed. The 4D printing strategy for composites with continuous fibers reinforced is proposed

and the 4D printing of arbitrary deployable surface structure is realized by controlling the deformation of composites. Finally

the potential applications of 4D printing technology in aerospace

bio-medicine and soft robots are analyzed.