7. Computational couture#

Adding a rigid material on top of a piece of fabric could be a way to add structure to a piece of fabric without a seam.

Depending on the modeling, the fabric and the filament we can have different results. Nota Bene : I was sick during this week, I worked with a fusion parametric setup and I will try in few weeks to learn more grasshopper and parammetric design software.

A B C

Download#

Tools : pliers Test1 triangles 2mm Test2 triangles 1mm triangles 6 circles circles
Laser cut files shape .pdf gcode triangle 2mm gcode triangle 1mm gcode round triangles gcode triangle 1mm gcode triangle 1mm

The 3D print Ultimaker 3#

Ultimaker 3 Detail of the ultimaker’s heating bed

Summary#

References#

Since I know fablabs well, I have seen and worked with many 3D printers. But in the last 8 years, I have just used a 3D printer once which was to complete an application for a competition. I’m interested in open source data, files and 3D modeling, but I’m not convinced in the efficiency of these tools.

For this assigment, I researched and took the time to learn more about these tools and their potential.

3D printed biology / BioLogic#

Biologic from Tangible Media Group on Vimeo.

Protocol, Turn on the machine : observation#

My protocol :

Ultimaker 3 testing the nozzle on the fabric

Tools : Stabilize the Fabric with tools likes pliers#

Commercial Pliers Scotch ruler Blue scotch Home made pliers
No Not good enough Not enough, the fabric is fraying ok

2. Test#

Test 1 PLA put the fabric inside the machine Test 1 affix pliers
The result is quite alright the flexibility and rigidity is intersting

Pliers can disturb the machine, this can be dangerous as the fabric moves during this process

Test 2 Scotch Tape Result

The scotch tape is not strong enough so the piece of fabric moves during the printing

Piece of burlap material Test 3 Blue Scotch tape Result Test 3 Blue Scotch tape
Test 4 Thin fabric and blue scotch Under the build plate Observations
the fabric moved a bit during the process.
Test 5 Thin fabric Detail : threads Good result Observations
the piece of fabric also moves during the process and the fabric is also fraying

Observation : The tape is not strong enough, the fabric moves, the results are good but for a larger or a very thin material piece the result is not good enough, I would try with other pliers.

Homemade Tools#

acrylic frame frame + pliers + fabric details of the pliers details of the pliers

Lasercut different tools#

I used acrilyc 6mm. I have made 3 different sizes of tools to take 2mm / 4mm / 6mm. The thickness depends on the material I want to clip down. For the plate of the ultimaker the bigger is the best one.

Screen from corel draw Parameters for lasercut 10 100 100 File for pliers
Laser cut files shape .pdf

Tools test#

Triangular shape first test with my tool

Test with a very, very thin piece of silk (2nd hand providers)#

The fabric is bigger than the machine the fabric is very thin and transparent the nozzle has torn the fabric…

3. Fusion360 parametric design for final project#

For my parametric design I used Fusion 360. I tried to find a way to make a modular shape with notches for a test of my final project and take the pattern that I have made from an old assigment. the device is composed of circles with notches and could be combined with triangles parts.

Test Circle shape with Notch#

Open a file wrote the parameters of the circle with dimension tool you can enter the size (fx)
windows with my differents parameters draw the symetrical lines Detail for the notches part
all notches have the same size change parameters test change parameters test

Then on the final image, you can see the shape is chaging it’s only with the parameters of the design. At any moment during the design process I can change the size of the circle, the thickness, the size of the notches…

Test Triangular shape#

From the circular part I have designed a triangle to make the part B of the pattern. Triangles have 3 parts, each one is a notch.

Parametric size make an offset dimensions of the offset
Validate Extrude the contour save

Design the shape for the final project parts#

The circle shape is for a modular part, with different components that we can combine together. This circle shape will be the base of the project.

My circuit from Eagle The layer from fusion 360 The symetrical design for notches
Notches and holes holes for wires make a pattern for the 3D print

3D print the circle part and prepare the lasercut file#

The process with fusion 360 is easier because the software has the settings for exporting the 3D files through Cura directly. The process is : Fusion 360 > Cura + Fusion 360 > dwg + LaserCut

Cura settings for ultimaker Trace 3D for lasercut export from the skech a .dwg layer Import the .dwg in Illustrator and export in .pdf

This is the beginning of how we can combine different machines found in a same space : 3D printer + laser cut (see the protocol below).

3D print the triangular part and prepare the lasercut file#

design the offset then extrude the contour make a circular patern
Change the height in the settings export for Cura as .stl open Cura
turn the piece change the settings with a brim then save

Material for tests#

I use to collect fabric, then I use an old skirt to test the 3D printed process on old silk.

Hot Iron and cut the part of the skirt The fabric
Patern on silk Test 1 Patern on silk Test 2 Detail silk and PLA volume

Video second test for triangle shape#

Protocol to lasercut the fabric#

Lasercut the silk The guide and the fabric Result Detail Light detail

This guide is make with wood 5mm. But this is too thick, the laser is not cutting all the fabric and it’s not sufficiently precise. I will try to make a very thin guide with plastic sheet or paper. The reason for this is to help locate the origin.

Guide Guide + fabric Result

Vidéo of the Process#

Test the circles and triangles with the maximum of pieces printed in one shot#

Base for the pattern circle = triangle pattern circle twice
The patern Offset function to make the contour Extrude the contour return to the sketch triangle pattern
Setting part The parametric function work the two pieces could be assembled
Select the triangle make a circle patern same parameters
Circles pattern on silk Hand Scale Flexibility

Silk preparation#

The silk is very thin and we need to find the direction of the threads, droit fil in french. The silk fabric is so thin that it took me 10 minutes to put the fabric inside the machine to be sure that it wouldn’t move during the process. The fiber of textile is very fragile.

check the tension of the fabric by hand and by testing its sound#

Checking the fabric is correctly installed on the ultimaker#

I used this technique for my final project, but for the parametric part I think grasshopper will be nice to learn

3D printing fabric + crystal#

I like to understand the combination of the different tools and machines that we have in the lab. It’s a real production line and I try to find the limits and test them.

Face A face B

The crystal seed can grow on the fabric but not on the PLA so it’s a way to control the shape of the crystal. After two weeks the crystal was not on the whole piece. After a few weeks more, the copper had eaten the fabric. So the crystal wasn’t inside the triangle.