3D Printing on Fabric

I originally published a version of this post in 2019. I haven't updated this to include recent resources or examples of 3D printing + fabric, but it still seems to be a topic that folks are exploring and experimenting with so perhaps some of this is still relevant~

3D printing and fabric are two materials that I had never considered combining until I saw this tutorial from Make Magazine. 3D printed objects are rigid and usually inflexible, you have to have a 3D printer and CAD software to create your own 3D prints. Fabric is soft and flexible, you only need to be familiar with a needle and thread or a sewing machine to work with it. Maybe it’s the contrast between these materials and methods that I think is so engaging.

Dutch fashion designer Iris Van Herpen has created some pieces that are entirely 3D printed, or incorporate 3D printed pieces.

She notes:

"People think that everything I make is 3-D printed, but the basis of my work is really craftsmanship. I think a lot of people try to separate the two. You have traditional houses that focus on craftsmanship, and then you have people who are into technology, but I don’t really see that they have to be apart. I see them as equal, and I actually think that they can complement each other. Sometimes a texture that I’ve been developing on a 3-D printer can be an inspiration for a handwork technique, and sometimes it’s the other way around"*¹

Here's another source of inspiration by Shorey Designs– Interchangeable 3D printed pieces that you can snap on and off of a piece of fabric augmented with 3D printed snaps.

Using the tutorial that I mentioned at the beginning of the post I began my own experiments with 3D printing and fabric. I started off simple, printing this file that I found on thingiverse so I could familiarize myself with the process. The process was surprisingly easy:

• It’s best to use a fabric like tulle or lace that has holes in it because you’re basically sandwiching the fabric in between layers of your 3D print and if there’s no holes in the fabric then the plastic layers won’t stick together and you’ll end up with pieces of plastic that aren’t stuck to anything. I used tulle for my experiments. (side note: this tutorial does a really great job of explaining other materials you can print on and how to prepare fabrics that aren’t porous for 3D printing by laser cutting your own holes)
• I sent my 3D printing file to my printer and began the print.I let it print 3 layers and then paused the print. In the software for my 3D printer it tells me what layer I’m on so I can easily tell when it’s time to pause. In some software like Cura you can tell your printer to pause after it’s printed a couple of layers.
• Next I used some clips to secure the fabric on top of the layers that had been printed. I used alligator clips because that’s what I had on hand but I would recommend using clothespins or clips that you might use in the kitchen so that you don’t scratch your build plate or tear the fabric and so that there’s no wires in the way. After the fabric was secure I resumed the print and let it finish.

Next, I tried printing the same file but I paused the print multiple times and folded the fabric over the print, embedding multiple layers of the fabric into the print. The end result had a really nice effect that reminds me of mountains peeking out through fog and clouds or something submerged in water.