Jan 12, 2015 | By Alec

3D printing is on the rise, and perhaps one of the best indicators for that is the number of industries that are have started exploring the options of its manufacturing potential. And while it might surprise some of you, the clothing industry is currently perhaps the most interested among them. While many are slowly introducing FDM printing into its prototyping laboratories, various clothing producers have already adopted 3D printers as a fashion tool – just go to any major fashion runway, and chances are you’ll catch a glimpse of 3D printed hats, shoes or accessories. Just last week, we ran into a whole 3D printed outfit at the CES in Las Vegas.

Of course, this does not mean that 3D printed clothing or accessories are becoming en masse consumer items already, as the technology simply isn’t that cost effective yet. However, a brand-new machine is currently on display at the Etopia Center for Arts & Technology in Zaragoza, Spain, that could change the role of 3D printing in the clothing industry: the Knitic. For why shouldn’t 3D printing be used to prototype and even produce outfits too?

So what is this Knitic exactly? In the words of its creators (and artistic duo) Varvara Guljajeva & Mar Canet: ‘Circular Knitic is an open hardware project. By using digital fabrication and makers’ tools, like 3D printing, laser cutting, makerbeam, and Arduino, we have designed an automated and replicable circular knitting machine.’

Some astute geeks with extensive knowledge of the history of manufacturing might well point out that a mechanic knitting machine is hardly new, and you would be right. They have been widely used in the clothing industry for more than a century, though they have been largely replaced by the cheaper cotton weaving machines.

However, unlike those gigantic industrial machines, the Knitic adopts all of the most significant characteristics of desktop making as we know it: it’s an open source machine, constructed in a RepRap set-up made from 3D printed parts, and is powered by an Arduino. And just as a RepRap FDM printer extrudes plastic in particular shapes, the Knitic creates specific patterns of wool to form the interlocking strands of woolen clothing. Finally, this machine is a desktop-sized device, allowing users to create knitted objects (think of scarfs or gloves) in the comfort of their own homes and garages. And as its open source, you can simply 3D print and assemble (or even improve) the Knitic at home and start your own clothing company. You can find all the necessary STL files here.

Curious to see the machine ‘print’ wool? Check out the following clips:

As the artists explained, their goals behind the creation of the Knitic were simple: to restore knitting to its dignity of an important manufacturing technique. ‘Fab Labs and makerspaces are a lot about hard-surface object production. At the same time, the 1st digital fabrication tool, which is an electronic knitting machine back to 1976, has been forgotten and discontinued. Hence, with this project, Circular Knitic, and our earlier one called Knitic, we aim to integrate textile fabrication to the makers’ culture.’

If you’re interested and happen to be in Spain, you can watch their five Circular Knitic machines in action at the Etopia exhibition in Zaragoza. These machines will be knitting garments and scarfs continuously throughout the eight-month duration of the exhibition. ‘Hence, slowly the ceiling of art centre will be covered with knitted garment.’ So if possible, be sure to check them out before July the 31st.

The artistic duo behind the Knitic, Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet,  have been working together since 2009, and have been exploring new forms of art, innovation and digital fabrication since then. Digitally-controlled knitting therefore logically follows from their interests, and their current circular knitic is already an improvement on one of their earlier creations. The Spanish/Estonian duo have already started work on new works on digital artistry, having recently been commissioned by Google and Barbican Centre for creating a new art piece for Digital Revolution exhibition.

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

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