3D Printer Defect Used to Create New Quasi-Woven Textiles
DefeXtiles are thin, flexible textiles that can be printed in many forms using a process known as under-extrusion.
Engineers at MIT’s Media Lab have designed new thin, stretchable quasi-textiles using a 3D printer defect known as under-extrusion, or when there isn’t enough filament being used to print. The materials can be printed quickly and in various 3D forms using an unmodified 3D printer with no additional software. The team describes DefeXtiles as a tulle-like (fine netting) textile made with the periodic gaps created during the FDM process when there’s not enough material during extrusion.
The under-extruding process is known as “glob-stretch,” where thermoplastic polymer globs are connected with fine strands, which makes a flexible, stretchy textile that can be sewn, de-pleated, and heat-bonded similar to an iron-on patch. The DefeXtiles process is simple enough and can be fabricated using any FDM 3D printer and traditional materials, such as PLA, ABS, PETG, and even conductive filaments. The secret lies in the encoding of the gaps produced in the printing process, which can be timed to make larger or smaller intervals between globs.
Using the DefeXtiles method, the researchers were able to build a conductive lamp shade with capacitive sensing that can turn on a light by pinching a pair of creases together and made brighter or dimmer by pulling the fabric together or stretching it apart. They’ve also developed a tangible shopping app that lets users print different dress models to get an idea of their overall shape before buying.
The amount of applications doesn’t end with clothing and lampshades, as it can be utilized to create flexible toys, indestructible shuttlecocks for badminton, and iron-on pockets. The engineers are looking into using the platform to produce biomedical devices as well, including customizable surgical meshes that can better reinforce organs and other tissues after surgery.