Stratasys announced a new “direct to garment” solution for their fabric 3D printer, the J850.
Stratasys has been exploring the fashion space in the past two years with their J850 TechStyle system. The device is able to print directly on fabric in up to seven colors/materials.
Fabric 3D printing is something many have experimented with on inexpensive desktop FFF devices, where molten polymer seeps in between the threads of a fabric stretched across the build plate. It’s possible, for example, to 3D print lettering on a fabric section.
However, Stratasys’ J850 takes that experimental concept to an entirely new level by implementing a commercially viable solution that’s dedicated to the fabric 3D printing process.
The news this week was that Stratasys has developed something they call “D2G”, or “Direct-to-Garment”. They explain:
“The D2G solution is ideal for customization and personalization by enabling the application of full color multi-material 3D print directly on fully assembled garments of various fabric types including denim, cotton, polyester, and linen. It allows fashion brands to facilitate personalized and bespoke designs for customers, including the ability to tailor 3D prints according to individual preferences, sizes, and styles.”
But how does this work? In this image you can see what’s going on. The D2G “tray” is essentially a platform that flattens an area of clothing, making it ready for 3D printing.
Previously the J850 required stretching a fabric across the build plate, which wasn’t ideal if you are attempting to 3D print onto a piece of clothing that wasn’t that large.
With the D2G trays you can enable 3D printing on almost any reasonably-sized article of clothing. This greatly simplifies the workflow for J850 users, and is likely the result of Stratasys observing how customers made use of the J850 in previous months.
The D2G solution enables fashion manufacturers to more quickly adorn fashion items with 3D printed structures. Typically these could be branding, personalized messaging or even stylistic elements.
I have a suspicion D2G may bring more fashion designers into the 3D print world by making it easier to customize existing fashion items.
Via Stratasys
