Jun 8, 2016 | By Tess
If you’ve always wanted to make your own clothes but have been stumped by complicated knitting techniques and sewing patterns, or simply don’t have the time, a London-based startup may have the solution for you. The startup in question is Kniterate, which has developed what is being referred to as the “3D printer for knitwear,” a technology that will allow consumers to easily and efficiently create their own clothing and textile accessories through a design software and a knitting machine.
Kniterate was founded by Gerard Rubio, who two years ago began his foray into 3D knitting with the OpenKnit project, an open-source digital fabrication tool itself made from 3D printed parts. With his new venture, Kniterate, Rubio is continuing to make his vision of a democratic textile manufacturing process a reality.
The Kniterate system essentially lets you digitally design your own knitted clothes through an easy-to-use design software. The software, which is preloaded with templates for beanies, scarves, socks, sweaters, and a number of other garments, lets you decide on the pattern, size, detailing, and even text you want included on the garment before it is sent to the knitting machine. Once the design process is complete, the data from the file is sent to an Arduino Mega-driven knitting machine itself equipped with 80 five gauge knitting needles. According to Rubio, while the current prototype for the machine has 80 industrial knitting needles, the next prototype will have as many as 240.
The knitting machine’s current prototype is reportedly capable of printing a whole scarf in about two hours time, which means you could feasibly send your design to the machine, go meet a friend for lunch, and come home to a whole new piece of apparel. What isn’t to love about that?
Of course, we will have to wait before having the option to purchase Kniterate’s innovative technology. Currently, the team at Kniterate is working on refining the machine’s mechanics, as well as talking to various manufacturers for potential partnerships. A Kickstarter campaign for the “new age knitting machine” is also set to launch in September 2016, which could boost the product’s development. Also in the works, according to Kniterate, is an online platform which will let its users share their garment designs with the whole Kniterate community, not unlike a 3D model sharing platform.
Kniterate’s knitting machine prototype was recently showcased at the HAX demo day.
Posted in 3D Printer
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