STRUCTURAL 3D PATTERNS
3D print to drape and manipulate textiles using FilaFlex
Final Course Work at Fabricademy, Fab Lab Bcn
Mentors: Anastasia Pistofidou & Adriana Cabrera
ABSTRACT
The project aims to find a way to reduce cut waste in the garment production, shorten production steps and make items with complex pleating designs faster and easier to replicate.
15% of textiles in garment production end up as cut waste.[i]
While some designers use entirely 3D printed clothing to reduce waste and create complex art, many of these designs lack wearability, warmth and smoothness to the touch that customers are used to from current high street fashion.
My project combines traditional jersey textiles and 3d print with FilaFlex. The printed on patterns drape and manipulate the fabric, forming volumes, texture as well as visual embellishment.
If applied to large scale printers entire garments could potentially be crafted without the use of pattern cut or assembly. Linking the beneficial characteristics of natural fibers with the endless customisation and design possibilities of digital on-demand production I hope to show opportunities for 3d print in mainstream fashion — one print at a time.
Following the extraordinary research of established labs like MIT, inspiring artists and designers including Alessio Erioli, Dafni Arnellou and Paola Tognazzi.
I applied their findings together with my ideas and designs to practical research.
Please read more about my research on this topic following this link.
POTENTIAL
A digital design provides easily adjustable patterns for diverse body shapes, enables personalisation and could cut future production to the steps:
- digital design
- 3d print on fabric and cut for openings
INSPIRATION
Inspired by naturally occurring volumes and shapes, drafted patterns are miming cell structures, fingerprints, magnetic fields and plants.
Nature bares all sorts of shapes ranging from soft curves of dunes to sharp edges and complex textures. By mimicking the forms and cell structure of voluptuous natural surfaces, I was hoping to recreate these shapes on the textile.
Once certain shapes were identified to cause stronger manipulation or more intense movement, these were incorporated into more complex print patterns.
METHOD
In the past 3 months I tested several filaments, textiles and heights, thicknesses and patterns.
In the course of my tests and work I have used the following course elements
Please read on to discover more about my explorations, their outcome and the final garments resulting from my research.
Fabrics tested
- Grey Cotton- Polyester Mix Jersey
- Blue thin Polyester Jersey
- White Cotton Jersey
- Greenish-ocra Polyester knit
- Red Cotton-Elastan Jersey
- White Lycra with sublimation print
Filaments tested
- PLA
- FilaFlex by Recreus
To result in better results and more elaborate fabric manipulation, the jersey needs to be stretched over the print bed. This is commonly done by taping or clipping the fabric to the build plate.
How to fix the fabric on the print bed?
Taping
As it results that a heated print bed, aids the filament in attaching to the textile, most tapes loosen through the heat. A further disadvantage is that the movement of the nozzle might be enough to move parts of the fabric off the sticky tape.
Clipping
Often binder clips are used to fasten the fabric as these can easily be found in fab labs and are often used to keep build plates in place.
Besides the same cons mentioned in the tape section binder clips had 2 major disadvantages in thee testing of this project:
- They can’t stretch textiles evenly. Only where the clip is placed the stretch is strong while already a cm away from it different forces apply and change the outcome of the print
- To securely fasten the fabric clips need to be applied in all corners of the bed as well as along the sides. If prints get closer to the sides of the bed, nozzles would often run over or touch a clip. Consequently the clip would move or worst case the print shift.
Stretch frame
To find in alternative to these two stretch options, I decided to build my own stretch frame, which was used on 90% of all prints presented in the following.
Based on embroidery frames the stretch frame consists of two frames that can be tightly placed one into the other to create a firm stretch when fabric is clamped between them.
I measured the outer contour of the bed and milled the frames in wood.
After sanding it sorely to avoid rips in the textiles first tests were conducted.
Through the thickness of the frame the movement of the bed had to be reduced by 4cm on the y-axis to avoid it hitting the Reprap screen.
While testing we realised that when homing the motor of the nozzle would lower to be directly on the right outer frame. I adjusted and sanded it more to give the motor space to move without friction.
The final tool is a great alternative to clips and ensures tight stretching of fabric on the bed.
Download stretch frame as a reference file for creating your own for your print bed.
SHAPE TESTS
After initial first tests on the different fabrics and filaments, it turned out that PLA did not attach to any of the fabrics and was always easily pulled off.
All further tests were conducted in FilaFlex by Recreus. This filament is not only softer and attaches better, it’s flexibility makes it adjust perfectly to body shapes and movements.
PATTERN TESTS
In a second phase I used the outcomes of the first test phase to come up with more complex structures. Combining different elements and structures in order to become patterns similar to 2D fashion prints.
As a result of the different test prints, I refined the following print settings which showed cleanest and best outcomes with RepRap2 at Fab Lab Bcn printing with FilaFlex:
- Print Temp: 235°C
- Bed Temp: 48°C
- Print Speed: 40
- Travel Speed: 80
- Retraction: 1.5
Stress test -washing machine
I washed the sample of FilaFlex on lycra below twice at 40 degrees including tumble dry. After the first wash a few fibres of the print had lifted. The second wash seemed to have loosened the same sections a little more. All in all the print stayed intact and only the rows and fibres that had loosened in the first wash showed further stressing and pilling.
APPLICATION IN GARMENT PRODUCTION
As the size of available print beds was limited, I crafted a few samples in reduced doll scale. before moving on to human sized garments.
Flow Top
If you would like to create your own. Feel free to download it here. Please also read my exploration of how to customise the design to different doll/body shapes in section ‘Personalisation’.
Staircase Skirt
Making the process become the design protagonist
Working on the design of the life-sized garments, I split my desired patterns into fragments of 20x20cm- the available print size when using the stretch frame. To my surprise the print outcomes changed with the scale. While shape outcomes could be calculated and estimated in smaller scale, the large parts behaved very differently.
One issue was aligning print segments that belong together. Although prints and their stretch outline were highlighted and marked, they often shifted and moved which altered the final print.
The difficulty in working with split line work lies in the physical split of forces through the split in filament sections. While for instance a continuous polar array of lines creates a mountain like suction of textiles, a cut in these lines breaks this effect and only results in a small manipulation and stiffening of the following segments.
Limitations in fabric, staining through printer parts as well as shared resources at the lab, created an interesting shift in the design approach. Instead of entirely forcing the material into the final design, the dimensional and technical printing restrictions and slight misalignment through stretch made the creation process and material become an essential part of the creation process.
If the outcome with split sections cannot be entirely estimated, what can 3D print in fashion be used for?
Using these 3 principles of designing with 3D print to manipulate textiles, I designed and produced 3 tops embodying the different application methods.
Decorative application of print
- An Asian inspired ornamented top
Structural application of print
- A futurstic asymetrical short jacket
3D print creating volumes
- An urban floral top
Wave Top
Selecting a green polyester jersey together with a pattern based on magnetic fields created an elegant match for this garment. The curved lines not only enhance the clean and harmonious pattern around the neck, bust and shoulder area, the shimmering fibres in the textile reflect light differently where the print has been applied and enhance the effect of volume.
The pattern is inspired and designed with magnetic field formulas in Grasshopper.
Shortage in the availability of this fabric caused my original plan to make it a dress to change into an asymmetrical top.
The final result is a stunning and elegant yet modern top that can be dressed up and down depending on the occasion.
Metro Top
Thanks to the possibility to print on lycra, kindly offered by Imaginadores Roland, I designed a pattern including parts of all my shape tests and linking them with an attractor point design created in grasshopper.
Using this pattern as a base I wanted to create a modern urban garment, repeating some of the patterns it already includes as a structural print in contrasting colour.
Blooming Volumes Top
Using a picture of balcony flowers in Barcelona as the main subject of the sublimated pattern mixed with parametric attractor point shapes.
I wanted to craft a garment that combines, vintage shapes with a bright and strong print and playful structural patterns.
The petal shapes of flowers repeat in the construction while the 3D print is the more tactile elements of the piece. It gives volume to the bust area of the top and supports the way the pleats flow. While the print was applied in transparent FilaFlex it invites to get closer discover its details. This item is made long summer nights, loud and happy city breaks as well as bold statements at the office.
BENEFITS OF A 3P PRINTED PRODUCTION LINE
Waste Reduction
According to M. Liu 15% of textiles in the garment production end up as cut waste.[i] By applying 3D print to reduce and pleat parts of garments darts could be avoided. I believe it is possible to produce garments entirely by applying different 3D printed parametric designs which drape and shape the final garment.
Personalisation
The use of digital parametric design elements enables customers to customise their garments.
Not only sizing may be adapted but also colour, material and height of extrusion can be adjusted to one’s content and need.
· Colour
· Pattern
· Size adjustments
· Extrusion effect
Changing the fabric and filament colour are easily done, size adjustment may be more difficult to calculate and entail more testing depending on the design.
Using my crop top design, I prepared possible adjustments due to body shapes
As every body is different, users have different tastes and needs when it comes to the look and fit of their clothes.
Using the following 4 different female body shapes as a base, I have designed slightly different adjustments to my original design to create a similar outcome look for each of them.
Main features to consider in this example are differences in shoulder width and chest circumference as well as the vertical position of the bust.
Adjustments in amount of rays and overall design
While model 1 is a very even hourglass shape, it is used as the standard size of the crop top.
Model 2 representing a young girl, received a shortened reduced line count from 15 to 10. As her body is not only overall smaller, the top will need to create less volume in her chest area.
Model 3 needs a similar approach as model one, altering mainly the length of the original lines to reach her elbow which should result in sufficient curl to cover her cheat but give her more space once the sleeves are formed
Model 4 has a more voluptuous body. In order to nicely curl around her bust, I have increased the amount and length of lines and would suggest to also adjust the extrusion height as explained in the next step.
Adjustments in extrusion
As the top is aimed to curve around the natural shape of the bust, it is essential that the print elements curve in the right moment. If their print is too weak to curl, they would simply ‘hang’, a very strong curl effect of the print on the other hand side would make them create a bubble exceeding the natural body shape.
By changing the extrusion height of the design, the material strength is enhanced where needed and weakened in key spots to aid the deformation location. By decreasing the extrusion height this area becomes weaker and bends easier.
Arrows indicate if the extrusion is even, increasing or decreasing in height.
Experiments with Filaflex showed that, increasing the height of the extrusion towards the middle line of the plane while decreasing it towards the end of the shape, helps pushing the curl effect over a longer length while making it more even in shape.
Uneven extrusion variation test: The model in the top right corner has an extrusion applied that is higher towards the centre of the shape and fades out at the ends.
Test even extrusion over in relation to width of lines long distance:
An evenly extruded design over a large area creates an uneven curl effect. Ends curl into tunnels on softer fabric which could be uncomfortable for wearers or even reveal more than the desired body area.
Reconstruction of high complexity embroidery and deformation
Due to precise machinery even difficult designs that would be very time and labour consuming to create in manual embroidery can be recreated at any time. In comparison to complex tailoring, assembly and embroidery processes of for example haute couture pieces, 3D crafted fashion can be recreated in a standardised manner using the same file. That way very complex designs can be printed with precision. Flexibility in the choice of fabric and colour as well as design possibilities are endless.
Circular on-demand creation
As 3D print manufactures 1 piece at a time, this technique is especially interesting for small scale production. Users with access to a printer could create and customise their garment anywhere in the world at any time. This helps prevent overproduction and means that garments could go into production once they have been purchased, making it a storage free on-demand production system.
Print times are calculated before the start of the production and help realistically estimate when the garment can be completed.
OPPORTUNITY
As it’s a less explored and used technique, there are many opportunities to establish new standards, tools to facilitate the use of small scale printers on fabric as well as combine non-digital and digital fabrication through for instance put binder prints on 3d print.
LEARNINGS
- 3D print is an valid option to apply complex embroidering patterns to textiles and to manipulate their shape
- However current 3d printers are not made to print on fabric. In most cases fabric needs to be cut, can’t be stretched or is likely to move and interfere with the machine. Tests are needed to ensure good results with different printers.
- As aligning different parts of the overall print is difficult individuals printing on small machines need to be aware that the results may slightly shift and that the technique in this case designs the final piece
- Overstetching the stretch frame - while the frame worked fine when the fabric was plain. Stretching fabric parts that already included 3D prints put immense stress to the wooden structure and eventually made it burst.
CONCLUSION & OUTLOOK
I believe that 3d printing technology traditional garment creation techniques will merge and become more typical in the next few years. This new fusion allows more complex design and visual expression. As filaments are based on natural materials it can also have a positive impact on the environment compared to traditional fastenings and shortware. The adaptability of the on-demand creation matches today’s globalised society. In individualist societies it offers personalisation while more collectivist groups are able to produce coherent style from the same file.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Adriana Cabrera
Pia Janßen & Rose Ekwé
Zoe Powell, Clara Davis, Laura Civetti & Aldana Persia
Claudia Vogler
Fab Lab Barcelona
Anastasia Pistofidou
[i] M. Liu 2017, “For a true war on waste, the fashion industry must spend more on research“ http://theconversation.com/for-a-true-war-on-waste-the-fashion-industry-must-spend-more-on-research-78673
