Digital interlooping: 3D printing of weft-knitted textile-based tubular structures using selective laser sintering of nylon powder
- Submitting institution
-
Manchester Metropolitan University
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- 240851
- Type
- D - Journal article
- DOI
-
10.1080/17543266.2019.1573269
- Title of journal
- International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education
- Article number
- -
- First page
- 218
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 2
- ISSN
- 1754-3266
- Open access status
- Compliant
- Month of publication
- February
- Year of publication
- 2019
- URL
-
https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/622822/
- Supplementary information
-
-
- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
-
0
- Research group(s)
-
C - Design
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- The field of 3D printed textiles is an emerging discipline with an increasing number of practices exploring the possibility of printing flexible textile- based structures. Most of the research to date makes use of multiple assemblies i.e., chainmail logic (Mallinson 2014, Bingham 2016) to enable movement through linked or hinged rigid parts. Research exploring 3D printed continuous geometry is less available and published work exploring the knitted structure as a form of continuous geometry is underdeveloped (Davis 2012, Melnikova et al 2014). This research builds on the author’s previous research into 3D printed knit based structures. The originality of this research lies in applying a textile understanding of knit’s continuous inter-looping structures and inherent stretch properties to test both single-face (plain) and double-face (interlock) weft knitted tubular structures for their extensibility and flexibility. The aim is to create flexible tubular structures that demonstrate knit’s inherent properties of stretch and elasticity as well as exploiting the mechanical properties of the nylon material used to print with. The research is a body of 3D printed, single-face and double-face tubular weft knitted textile-based structures that have been tested for flexibility and extensibility when printed at various scales. The results have shown that it is possible to print both single-face and double-face weft knitted textile based tubular structures at a small scale whilst still maintaining flexibility. The results demonstrate the potential for knit based 3D printed tubular structures to be used in fields such as high-performance sport or health and rehabilitation where customisation and compression would be beneficial. The research was exhibited at ID TechEx Berlin 2018 and was awarded best academic poster assessed ‘on the technical development of the work, its potential for market entry and the benefits it brings to the body of work in the given area’.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
- -