The Many Faces of 3D Printing
Ornaments. Spare parts. Prostheses. Implants. Food. Organs. Houses. Vehicles. Instruments. The versatility of 3D printing is reaching chilling levels. Manufacturers keep eliminating sharp edges, and we honestly can't see a ceiling for this technology. What appears on the list now? Clothes. The minds behind the Electroloom printer promise skirts, t-shirts, caps, and even girls' dresses, without the need to sew after printing.
The human being has managed to create all kinds of garments. On the other hand, it also got used to discarding its clothes as quickly as it creates them, a detail we can appreciate in this excellent video about fabric recycling in India. The consumer machine that is the West allowed the development of very negative aspects such as sweatshops, which have touched to a greater or lesser extent many brands of supposed 'good reputation'. Anyone with enough skill can get out of this vicious circle and make their own clothes, but there's the problem. It is that factor called 'skill' that limits most people. A traditional shoemaker didn't get his knowledge from a book, but through decades of combining trials, errors, and successes. Machines brought precision and mass production, but still, you have to know how to operate them. And now, we arrive at 3D printing. In the past we have explored the possibility of printing our own footwear. Maybe it's time to do the same with clothing in general.
How Electroloom Works
The official name of the project is Electroloom. In simple terms, Electroloom's work begins like any other 3D printer, that is, with a CAD model of the garment to reproduce. The difference is that this CAD model must be converted into a physical mold, which is placed inside the printer. Finally, the Electroloom begins the printing process itself, using a special solution that is spread over the mold with the help of an electric field (electrospinning). Upon contact with the mold, the microfibers extracted from the liquid bond together, forming a continuous and resistant fabric, without seams or gaps on the surface. Skirts, tank tops (read 'muscle shirts') and girls' dresses are the first three garments that Electroloom can reproduce.
Crowdfunding the Electroloom
As expected, to continue developing the Electroloom printer, its creators decided to seek funding in the crowdfunding world. The Kickstarter campaign has a goal of $50,000, and with two weeks to go, they are a few thousand away from reaching it. Rewards for participants are divided into small fabric samples ($30), t-shirts and skirts ($100), but the alpha edition of the Electroloom costs exactly $4,500. If all goes well, delivery of printers will take place in March 2016.
Electroloom gives us the feeling of wanting to democratize the design and manufacturing of clothing. There is no doubt that the technology involved is taking its first steps, but 3D printing in general started the same way, and we still can't believe how far it has come.
