Additive Manufacturing on Textiles: Emerging Workflows and Technologies

Conference Abstract: The textile and fashion industries has brought huge technological advancements to manufacturing since the first industrial revolution. Additive Manufacturing has impacted many sectors across manufacturing and engineering; however, we are now seeing the emergence of AM workflows within these industries.

PrintCity is digital manufacturing centre based in Greater Manchester, a city with a rich industrial legacy and one of the UK’s biggest technology hubs. The facility is part of Manchester Metropolitan University which is also known for its Fashion Institute who have started adopting AM in their own practices. Manchester has a deep heritage in the production of textiles and is the birthplace of the first industrial revolution. Therefore, it seems fitting that Manchester is leading in this space, combining new technology advancements with its history.

For many years PrintCity has explored the use of 3D printing onto textiles using Fused Deposition Modelling and Stereolithography technologies. Now with the installation of a Polyjet J850 Prime Fabrix 3D printer developed by Stratasys, PrintCity has developed a unique set of expertise and workflows in these sectors.

In this session, PrintCity will share their insights in 3D printing onto a variety of different textiles. This session will also explore the development of 3D modelling and prototyping within these disciplines, including their workflows for working with creatives who have no prior experience in computer aided design or AM. The objective of this session is to share best practice within this field, making it more accessible for creatives and designers to access this technology. This will include the software and digital workflows adopted allowing our students and companies to translate their existing work such as images or 2D drawings.