2. PRINTING
Printing origami shapes
As you can see in the Shibori week, I wanted to draw triangles and print them on fabric. Spoiler: it was not the first time I tried to print on fabric, but this time I only sketched the shapes on it. My idea was to print the shapes and then use them for origami folding.
The first step was to take the fabric parameters: how the shibori folds look, their number, and their dimensions. After collecting this information, I went to Rhino 7 and started to model the pattern. More about how to use this program you can find in my weekly documentation, in the Fabric Academy lessons, and in open-source teaching programs and videos.
I wanted to print it in **TPU**, but our printer or the **TPU** had some problems during printing and it started to print with lumps. It became a big issue, so I chose to try printing with **PLA**, but making it very light and with some flexibility.
How to print with a 3D printer you can also find in the [Computational Couture week](https://class.textile-academy.org/2026/lilit-barseghyan/assignments/week06/), where I explain the process in more detail.
Printing with **PLA** was better than I expected. I used a **0.4 mm nozzle**, which is the thinnest layer my printer can make. The module became **light**, **flexible** enough, **strong**, and visually nice.
Using **double-sided tape**, I attached one side **to the PLA** and the other **to the fabric**, and started to experiment with it. I moved the pieces closer and farther from each other and observed how the fabric folds and reacts to the structure. Anyway, the cotton couldn’t remember the pattern very well. This is a problem that still needs to be solved.
I designed small triangles and printed them with PLA using the smallest possible layer height (0.3 mm). They turned out really tiny, flexible, and interesting — exactly what I wanted. I attached all the parts using double-sided tape. I didn’t print directly on the fabric, because it would take more time and wasn’t necessary for this experiment.
**How it looks and feels:**
It feels interesting and fun — maybe useful for another project or a different purpose. But for my idea, it didn’t work. The angles couldn’t keep memory, and the distance between the 3D-printed triangles only affected how easy or difficult the fabric folds, but nothing more.
## 3D printed Motor head
I designed the motor head in Rhino (I explain how to use it in more detail in my Fabric Academy weeks). Because the threads used for folding need to grip onto something, I designed and printed a custom motor head.
This was relatively easy because the motor shaft is cylindrical and doesn’t have teeth at the end. However, the motor head is not fully cylindrical — one side is flattened to create a straight surface. This prevents the attached part from rotating freely and helps keep it fixed in position.
I added holes for the fishing threads so they can pass through and be secured. I also created a small indentation to help gather the threads and prevent them from tangling.
I made the inner diameter of the motor head slightly larger, because 3D printed parts tend to shrink a bit after cooling. This can also be adjusted by slightly heating the motor shaft and fitting it into the printed head — this works as long as the hole is not too small.
## 3D Printed Motor Stand
I designed the motor stabd in Rhino, too.
The motor head is mostly cylindrical, with a few smaller cylinders at the mounting part. It has small holes for screws. The screw head area is shaped slightly like a pyramid — this detail is important for properly covering and fixing the screw heads, since they are not long enough to hold the motor securely without this adjustment.
I also designed the construction to be longer than the motor itself, so there is enough space to prevent overheating.
The stand has side “ears” with holes for screws as well, allowing it to be fixed firmly in place.
**Stand 3D model:**
Motor stand
by lil11.barseghyan on Sketchfab
Here are my three models. Two of them failed.
In the first one, I didn’t include a middle cylinder between the motor body and the head part. In the second one, I made that radius exactly the same, but because 3D printed objects shrink slightly after cooling, the connection didn’t work properly. I also didn’t add small supports at the bottom for extra stability, which made it worse.
The third one worked perfectly — it was a success.