During my 4th semester studying at Duke and working in the Duke Innovation Co-lab, I was asked by my boss to experiment with the flexible filament samples the lab had received. The purpose was to provide "printing profiles" (instructions for the 3D printers) that would allow lab patrons to use these elastic and flexible filaments for their projects. During my research, I encountered an innovative group of clothing designers experimenting with 3D printing as a method of producing unique fashion pieces. In search of I new project, I decided to incorporate the filament printing development into experimentation with textiles that might be used to create fashion pieces.
The first few months of ideation consisted of experimenting with the properties and feasibility of different styles of textile from semi-rigid chainmails to flexible elastomer meshes (see above). After several brainstorming sessions with my partner on the project, Kristine Stanners, we settled on creating flat pattern textiles in the shape of existing fabric patterns. These patterns were to be printed and welded together into homogeneous material garments.
The first attempt to create a proof of concept prototype was a sleeveless top made to fit Kristine's measurements. We discovered that we could stitch the individual pieces together by using a 3D pen extruding the same 85a shore hardness TPU that the shirt was printed in, thus making the garment homogeneous. This process added an extra dimension to our design in that such a garment is, in theory, infinitely recyclable. If you want a new design, simply melt the piece down, extrude new filament and start over.
While the manufacturing process was successful, we overlooked a crucial while designing the original pattern. Traditional sewing patterns provide a 5/8" seam allowance. As such, every piece of the garment was 1.25" too wide and the garment did not fit its intended wearer. However, we did learn that stitching together pieces of plastic fabric produces an excellent structured garment. So we started over. I took my own measurements, applied them to a standard bomber jacket pattern, transferred the design into SolidWorks and set to work creating a our final proof of concept.
The final design was made of soft co-polyester (similar in texture to a stiff pleather). In order to make it dry-cleanable, the material co-polyester provided us with a high glass temperature. However, this required the jacket to be assembled using a soldering iron and a co-polyester filament in a modified sort of TIG welding. The design featured in the September Tech+Art fair at Duke University and is currently on display at the Duke University Co-Lab. As I am graduating Duke University this spring, we hope to pass on the project to younger, aspiring students (more photos will be uploaded soon).
