- 432
3D Weaver
The 3d Weaver is a loom designed specifically to weave three-dimensional structures using the x y and z coordinates. The machine runs on g-code, the most widely used numerical control programming language, often used in industrial CNC milling. The warp of a normal woven process is replaced with tubes (warp tube) and the weft is fed through a nozzle and pulled in tension around each tube as the g-code is being executed.
The 3 D Weaver is creating a new type of textile: one which could have pre-programed mechanical properties tailored to a specific use. In this regard, there are countless types of products you can produce with the 3D Weaver. I intended to look at textiles on the human wearable scale. Therefore, the products I have been producing are around the wearable area. High-end sportswear and footwear have been my early applications.
The same process applied with different materials and different properties can lend itself to the aerospace industry as well as medical and sportswear.
The project was developed over a six month period: three months of research and three months of experimentation and development. During the research phase I spent three days in Yorkshire visiting several
textile mills to understand the logistics and machinery involved in the woven textile process. During the development I worked on a series of small samples from a two dimensional loom. I realized quite quickly
I would have to move to a 3D loom to achieve the structures I wanted to create.
The 3D Weaver was born out of the need to create a loom incorporating basic techniques but adding another dimension to the process.
The 3 D Weaver is creating a new type of textile: one which could have pre-programed mechanical properties tailored to a specific use. In this regard, there are countless types of products you can produce with the 3D Weaver. I intended to look at textiles on the human wearable scale. Therefore, the products I have been producing are around the wearable area. High-end sportswear and footwear have been my early applications.
The same process applied with different materials and different properties can lend itself to the aerospace industry as well as medical and sportswear.
The project was developed over a six month period: three months of research and three months of experimentation and development. During the research phase I spent three days in Yorkshire visiting several
textile mills to understand the logistics and machinery involved in the woven textile process. During the development I worked on a series of small samples from a two dimensional loom. I realized quite quickly
I would have to move to a 3D loom to achieve the structures I wanted to create.
The 3D Weaver was born out of the need to create a loom incorporating basic techniques but adding another dimension to the process.
