Gallery: 3-D Printed Fabric That's Made of Yarn, But Can Stop a Knife
Photos by Zuzanna Weiss01weaving-05
Oluwaseyi Sosanya wants his wonder material to provide the first line of defense them from blunt impacts, stabs, and lacerations with a single, continuous line of yarn and your b
Photos by Zuzanna Weiss02weaving-08
Each of these digital doilies starts as a length of conventional cotton yarn, a silicone binder is applied to the yarn as it's being woven, and imparts a springy property while helping maintain the shape of the woven matrix.
Photos by Zuzanna Weiss03weaving-04
To demonstrate the capabilities of his wonder material, Sosanya designed a custom shoe with help from Lixian (Lisa) Teng, Tomiwa Adeosun, and Rozanna Walecki.
Photos by Zuzanna Weiss04weaving-02
Sosanya had to develop a new machine that can 3-D print impact-resistant materials using cotton yarn, liquified silicon, and fabrication techniques from the Industrial Revolution.
Photos by Zuzanna Weiss05weaving-07
In this new process, designers start with a standard CAD file and Sosanya's software generates a weave pattern that can absorb and distribute a set amount of force.
Photos by Zuzanna Weiss06weaving-03
The next step is reworking the machine to accept specialty materials that don't require silicone binders.
