11. Open Source Hardware - From Fibers to Fabric¶
Research & Ideation¶
Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. During material extraction and production stage, enormous amounts of greenhouse gas and toxic waste are released out to the world. To solve the problem, we have to think of alternative ways to improve such unsustainable industry. From clothes and furniture to medical and protective equipment, textiles form an essential part of our everyday lives. The textile industry generates considerable greenhouse gas emissions, while consuming copious amounts of water and primary raw materials. Moreover, most of the textiles we use today are made from fossil sources. Synthetic fibres, like polyester, are made from fossil sources and account for two-thirds of global fiber production.
Bio yarn is the future of textiles and one solution. Now a day we use plastics because it is easy to find and cheap, but the problem is that many plastics do not break down and are recycled poorly. Nevertheless, scientists are seeking to use bioplastics to cut down on waste and emissions. The innovation and evolution of Bio yarn–a substance molded from a biopolymer ‘Alginate’ extracted from kelp, seaweed or algae. This Bio yarn, then naturally dyed and knit into a bio-based textile, an alternative for the footwear and apparel industries. In fact, functional textiles or wearable products created from bio yarn material are geared towards a dramatically reduced environmental footprint, relative to conventional agricultural and petroleum-based textiles and materials.
Resources¶
https://wwd.com/feature/students-create-bio-yarns-win-design-challenge-10485485/
Bio Yarn: The Future of Textiles – Georgia College Green Initiative
The promise of Bioyarn from AlgiKnit — MaterialDriven
Machine Hacking: Alginate Bioyarn Extruder - Catherine Euale
Reweaving the Future: Inside Fashion's Biomaterial Revolution | Atmos
It is important to be aware of where things that we buy come from, where they were made, who made them and any cruelty which may have been caused on animals, the environment or local communities to produce them. Finding a more sustainable way of making clothes and achieving new methods is the goal.
References & Inspiration¶
References of the photos:
Jeff Saint Andrews Alexandra Sipa IIONFASHION AlgaeCouture Sonja
To be able to make more yarn and to make it more functional I decided to look through Carolina’s Delgado machine and as well Catherine’s Euale extruder. I wanted to have a machine that would help me extrude bio yarn and be able to enrolled on a tube to use it later on a loom or a weaving machine. Carolinas machine is the best for my purpose but later on I would like to built a extruder like Catherine’s, but for that I will need someone that domain electronics, because for me that area is really complicated.
You can find their infomation and work in the following links:
Process¶
First, I will need all the ingredients for the bio yarn which are mentioned in this table:
Then I built the bio yarn machine that Carolina Delgado developed and that you can find on the link above. Here is a scketch of its draft by Carolina Delgado.
I like this machine because you can use it with and without the alginate bath, whether you use a 100% natural yarn or not.
The list of materials I used:
• 3 plastic boxes
• 6 knitting needles of 5mm
• 1 m of ruber electronic hose (3/4”)
• 3mm MDF board
• Silicon pistol
• Children water pistol (plastic that surrounds it)
• LaserCut machine
Assamble:¶
First, I sent the files to the LaserCut machine and while the machine worked, I went to buy all the rest of the materials.
Once I got them all, I measured the boxes on the narrow side of the rectangle, and I divided them into 4 and at the middle on the height, so my holes would be exactly at the same level. Once I marked the exact points I proceeded to make the holes. For that I used the knitting needles because they are metallic made. I heated them on the stove and then made the holes in the boxes. I introduced the hoses through the needles. Then with the silicon pistol I sealed the holes on the boxes. When this process was finished, I cut the plastic from the water pistol in half, pulled it out and then again in half to attach each piece into the union of the boxes.
I picked up all the lasercut pieces and took them home to assembled and tried them. They worked, now I have to make the alginator mixture and try the machine and see the results. Wish me luck!
The moment of truth¶
1st Attempt¶
Once I had the vats ready to try the machine, I did the bio foil with the recipe found in Carolina Delgado’s page and the Calcium Chloride solution. Once I saw that all the Calcium chloride was dissolved and the bio foil was ready I pour them I started the procedure.
During my first attempt, I used a black 100% cotton mercerized thread. I introduced the tread into de alginate mixture vat and pooled it into the calcium chloride vat and then into the clear water vat. I notice that the alginate solution was too thick and stiky and as well I noticed that there was and error on the the correct amount of substances and water because the thread did not slide smoothly through the different vats because thee hose did not touched the solution and therefore the tread could not be pool easily.
2nd Attempt¶
This time I made more solution of bio foil and calcium chloride and I used a 100% cotton tread but this time it was not mercerized. I wanted to see whether the tread change consistency. I notice that the tread slid more easily and it absorved beter the biofoil solution and formed like a protective layer on the tread. It felt like plastic.
3th Attempt¶
This time I took the alginate vat out of the machine and I decided to use a ketchup struder for the alginate to create a bio foil and tried to get a longer tread to be able to knit later on. I poured all the solution into the struder with a little of natural orange food pigment and then pored it into the Calcium chloride solution. It was not as easy as I though because the nozzle was clogged and That made an non even foil, but at the same time It made it look nice and different.
After I finishes doing the three samples I let them dry and the next day I created a small loom using the 100% white bio cotton as the warp and the bio foil and the black mercerized tread as the weft. It was reall funn to do it and I loved the result.
Fabrication files¶
Carolina Delgado's documentation | Alginator file 1 | Alginator file 2