April 28, 2014
The world of fashion has already brought 3D-printed dresses into the fold. The versatility of 3D printing has opened a new frontier of possibilities for the production of textiles in the future.
During the 2014 China (Qingdao) International Fashion Week in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, technology and fashion collided when models walked down the runway in striking 3D printed dresses.
The first one is a two-piece dress. The top set was assembled from 2 pieces, and the skirt consists of 15 3D printed pieces, made of a material consisting of high percentages of elastic fibers, giving a plastic feel. The 3D printed dress was printed on a dual head 3D clothing printer, developed by Chinese company Unique Technology, the company behind multi-head, multi-material 3D bioprinter.
According to Wang Hong, the CEO of Unique Technology, it took them 24 hours to print out all the pieces of this dress. "The designer provided us her design, and our software engineer transformed it into a 3D model which were then sent to our 3D printer."
Wang Hong said her inspiration was from the 3D printed dresses at the Paris Fashion Week in 2013. "We wanted to do something different." said Wang. The team spent 6 months developing a 3D clothing printer that is capable of printing 3D objects in soft and elastic material as well as strong, durable plastic. The printer can be used to produce clothing, fashion accessories, shoes and hats.
Above: 3D clothing printer
Build envelope: 600 * 600 * 800mm
Layer thickness: 0.1mm-0.4mm
Nozzle diameter: 0.4mm
Print speed: 90mm / s
Nozzle temperature: 10-260 ℃
Print resolution: 100um
Material:1.7-1 .8 mm in diameter
Connection: USB, SD card
Voltage: 100-240V
Printer size: 1600 * 1300 * 1000mm
Power: 500W
Wang expects 3D printed clothing could be in stores within three years, if they find a good fabric partner. The next step is to develop a variety of soft and elastic materials for their printer.
Another 3D printed dress
Posted in 3D Printers
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