Bioinspired Design, Fabrication, and Wing Morphing of 3D‐Printed Magnetic Butterflies

Monarch butterflies’ remarkable migratory abilities, facilitated by their efficient wing structures, inspire the development of bioinspired soft robots and microaerial vehicles. This study presents the design, fabrication, and wing‐morphing behavior of 3D‐printed magnetic butterflies, focusing on optimal material and design parameters to replicate monarch wing‐morphing behavior. Using composite of thermoplastic polyurethane and micron‐sized Nd 2 Fe 14 B magnetic powder, 12 unique butterfly designs—varying in size, vein patterns, and stiffness—are fabricated via powder bed fusion (PBF) 3D printing, resulting in 84 specimens. Lightweight and batch‐producible with minimal postprocessing, the specimens have weights per unit area of ≈270, 480, and 1045 g m −2 for small, medium, and large sizes, respectively. A permanent magnet induces deformation in the specimens—mimicking monarch butterflies, without embedded electronics. A systematic analysis combining finite element simulations and experiments reveals the effects of size, geometric features, and laser energy scale on wing morphing. Lower laser energy scales result in porous, fast‐bending specimens, while higher scales specimen show greater mechanical strength and varied deformation, with vein structures further improving deformation. The results provide a detailed dataset for optimizing wing‐morphing designs while highlighting the potential of the PBF process in creating lightweight magnetic bioinspired structures capable of optimal shape morphing.