Case Study: Victoria University of Wellington achieves 4D liquid-printed, life-like fluidic structures with Stratasys PolyJet Research Package

Expanding 3D printing technology to create 4D liquid printed structures that imitate living organisms

Victoria University of Wellington’s MADE lab, led by Ross Stevens, faced slow, laborious prototyping that couldn’t capture fine color, translucency, movement or intricate internal channels needed for bio‑inspired models. Stratasys’ PolyJet technology — and specifically the PolyJet Research Package used with the J850 Prime — was introduced to address those limitations and enable voxel‑scale, full‑color 3D printing for research and teaching.

Using Stratasys’ PolyJet Research Package and its Liquid Print capability on the J850 Prime, the team printed the Polyphytes fluidic models with airtight internal channels that can be filled and drained to mimic vascular systems. The solution delivered microscopic resolution, simultaneous color and flexibility, and 4D-like dynamic behavior, eliminating the hours previously spent manually clearing supports and enabling results and functionalities that were not achievable before with other technologies.

Victoria University of Wellington

Ross Stevens

Program Director, University’s Industrial Design Department