Digital technologies/Textiles/3D printing on Fabric

Introduction

3D printing is so versatile that it can also be incorporated into fabric, hence bringing rise to futuristic garment features.

It has flourished in the fashion industry, and many famous brands are already making and selling 3D-printed garments.

3D printing enables you to create your own designs for your clothes and personalize them as you would like. From cosplayers' costumes to footwear to pieces of jewelry to intricate patterns for your old shirts, 3D printing can bring your creations to life.

Figure 1. 3D printed fabric

This document will give you an overview of how to 3D print on fabrics.

It will show three examples, each with its own filament, however the technique remains fairly the same.

3D printing on fabric examples

The following figures depict the final products obtained:

Dragon Scales

Dragon scales are inevitable when you are dealing with cosplayers’ costumes.

Moreover, their whimsical look can be pleasant for fantasy fans.

As shown in the picture, you can create your own dragon scale fabrics by incorporating your fabric between your 3D printed parts.

Figure 2. Wood fill dragon scales

Glow in the dark Hexagons

The hexagons form a delightful pattern which may be ideal for making pieces of jewelry.

Figure 3. Glow-in-the-dark hexagons

Photochromatic Snap Buttons

Snap buttons can revolutionize the way you use buttons, which are usually sewn on your shirts.

Figure 4. Photochromatic snap buttons on woven fabric

Figure 5. Photochromatic snap buttons

Figure 6. Photochromatic snap buttons under UV light

Different types of filaments were used. You can use the material of your choice and make the necessary changes in your 3D slicer.

Filament used

The following table shows the printers used for each filament type and some of the difficulties that came up.

The printer, Flsun v400 was the first option for all three examples since it is faster and was ideal for filaments of 1.75 mm, unfortunately one filament type did not perform well with this printer, specifically the Woodfill PLA.

Printer	Filament	Slicer	Difficulties encountered
Colour fab Wood fill PLA (2.85 mm)	Ultimaker 2+-Nozzle 0.4 mm	Cura	Incessant clogging with Flsun v400 printer Filament got burnt several times v400 nozzle Over extrusion with a 0.8 mm nozzle-UMP Was not adhering to build plate-UMP
Glow in the dark PLA (1.75 mm)	Flsun v400	Cura	No significant difficulties were encountered, it worked like normal PLA
Photochromatic PLA (1.75 mm)	Flsun v400	Cura	No significant difficulties were encountered, it worked like normal PLA

Table 1. Filament used

Note: Some specialty filaments are abrasive and can severely damage the nozzle

Getting Started

Preparing your model

A 3D CAD software, such as Onshape can be used to build up your model from scratch.

Or you can find some readily available designs online on Thingiverse.

Note: The dragon scales and the hexagons were from Thingiverse.

-Dragon scales

-Hexagons

-Snap buttons

Slicer

Now you must bring your model to your slicer.

To use the slicer:

• Download the slicer you will need for free or use one of Makerspace's computers. In our example we will be using Ultimaker Cura.
• Bring your model to your slicer. Remember to save your file as STL.

Print settings

The following table shows the changes made in the print settings; all other settings were left the same.

	Dragon scales	Hexagons	Snap buttons
Material	Wood fill PLA colorFabb Woodfill	Generic PLA	Generic PLA
Nozzle size	0.4 mm	0.4 mm	0.4 mm
Infill pattern	Grid	Grid	Grid
Infill density	10 %	10 %	10 %
Layer height	0.15 mm	0.20 mm	0.15 mm
Print speed	_	150 mm/s	150 mm/s
Build-plate adhesion	None	None	None
Printing temperature	_	210 °C	210 °C
Build-plate temperature	_	60 °C	60 °C

Table 2. Filament used

Additionally, to facilitate the printing process after incorporating the fabric,

Go to Custom --> All in the Print settings and enable the following:

• Enable Retraction-reduces stringing,
• Z Hop when retracted-prevents nozzle from dragging along surface,

Fig 7. All print settings

Note: For the Ultimaker printer, you may have to clean the build plate and adjust its level if your filament is not adhering to it.

• To clean: Use the cleaner available and paper towels and carefully wipe the build plate.
• To adjust level: At the Ultimaker printer go to Maintenance -> Build plate and follow the instructions given.

Calibrating the build-plate:

Calibrating the plate may be necessary when dealing with specialty filament, more information can be found on the following link.

Gathering materials

Before starting your print, ensure that you have the following materials:

• Fabric
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ruler

After gathering your materials,

• Measure out the amount of fabric you would need and cut it out.

Note: Your fabric should be smaller than the print area.

• The fabrics used were tulle and a woven fabric.

Starting your print

Note that the printing will be in two stages.

The first stage will be before the fabric is embedded in the 3D printed part and the second stage will be after its incorporation.

• Save your model and bring it to the printer.
• Switch on the printer and do the necessary configuration depending on the material you are using.
• Begin print.

Let it print the first two layers of your model as shown below:

Figure 8. First stage print

• Pause your print

Incorporating your fabric

• Place your fabric on the part that has been printed.

Figure 9. Taped fabric

• Resume print and watch your 3D printing fabric being formed.

Note: Tulle is a mesh fabric, the first 3D printed part can adhere to the second 3D printed part between the little holes in the fabric, causing the latter to be securely held.

On the other hand, holes need to be made for other fabric types such as woven fabrics to enable the fabric to be stuck between the 3D printed parts.

Perforating woven fabric

The following steps demonstrate how and what kind of holes should be made in your fabric:

• Measure the amount of fabric you would need
• We will use the laser cutter to cut out the fabric, you can use Inkscape to make the perforations.

Figure 10. Perforations Inkscape design

Note: This design was used to maximize cohesion.

• Iron your fabric and lay it on a piece of MDF. Tape it securely into place.

Figure 11. Fabric on board in laser cutter

• Configure the properties as follows:

Note: Laser Cutter used: Epilog Mini

The properties depend on the fabric used:

Vector Settings:

• Speed: 100 %
• Power: 10 %
• Frequency: 150 Hz

• Begin cut:

Figure 12.Perforated fabric

The different configurations will vary depending on the printer, the material or the type of fabric you are using for your project.

Yet, the overall process for 3D printing on fabric remains similar, that is, you should incorporate your fabric in between the two stages of printing.

Applications of 3D printing on fabric

The following examples demonstrate how you can apply this concept:

Figure 13. Dragon hands

Figure 14. Necklace

Figure 15. Vest