July 8, 2015 | By Alec
3D printing technology has slowly but certainly been entering the world of fashion of the last few years, but that doesn’t mean that they’re just copying innovations and ideas from the web. Instead, many fashion designers take their own experience and skills and design fantastic and very challenging designs we don’t see very often. Just look at the results of a collaboration between Arabian fashion designer Charbel Feghaly and Indian 3D printing platform DF3D, who 3D printed a very intricate dress featuring countless inside facing hinges.
While we hear a lot about innovations in the west and China, this project shows that we shouldn’t ignore India either. DF3D is one of the many 3D printing startups that popped up in the subcontinent, and are currently based in Bangalore. They work as a 3D printing hub somewhat comparable to Shapeways in the west and regularly tackle interesting projects.
This particular top (seen being modelled by a young woman from Beirut here) has sprouted from the mind of Arabian fashion designer Charbel Feghaly, who himself didn’t have access to adequate 3D printing resources. For printing he therefore contacted Formidable Industries in Beirut, who in turn directed him to their Indian partners DF3D due to the complexity of the design involved.
The big challenge here was that Feghaly designed a unique inside-facing hinge system, that isn’t just about showing off. Instead, it give the outfit a very natural movement pattern that mimics that of actual cloth. As you can imagine, that is quite difficult to 3D print, especially with FDM technology. Instead, DF3D solved this design challenge with SLS 3D printing technology in nylon, to optimize material use and multi-plane movement patterns. The result is a very smooth top that is far easier to wear than you’d expect, while remaining strong enough to resist wear and tear. Could this be the key to 3D printing clothes that don’t just look interesting on walkways, but are wearable too?
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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