Last year, our 3D printing company in Seattle was excited to see 3D printing made its debut into the world of clothing design with the creation of the first fully printed gown. This year, a team of innovators is looking to take things a step further with a complete 3D clothing printer.
Though the Electroloom, as this new printer is being called, is yet unfinished, its creators are promising to unveil their work by the end of 2014. At present, the prototype printer can print out sheets and tubes of fabric made out of synthetic polymers designed to resemble silken threads. The goal is to give the machine the ability to produce more complicated shapes so as to print out fully formed garments. The final product will utilize some form of inorganic, cotton-like fibers.
Ultimately, the team hopes to revolutionize the clothing industry. Machines like this one could allow shoppers to download and print out clothing from the internet. Further, the process could prove a “greener” alternative to traditional clothing manufacturing by reducing the amount of energy that goes into the creation of an article of clothing. All in all, the Electroloom is quite the exciting development to look forward to.
