Almost a year ago, we reported that Disney Research was hard at work on different 3D printer techniques for textiles. The entertainment company has continued on that mission and, together with Carnegie Mellon University, has announced a new advancement. The method relies on additive manufacturing to build a shape by stacking slices of thick felt. Similar to a standard 3D printer, a 3D object is loaded into the software and automatically broken down into slices. Instead of a hot extruder printing the object with plastic, a laser precisely cuts a sheet of felt, similar to a CNC machine. That slice is then placed on top of the previous layer on the build platform. The “printer head” then applies heat to the new layer of fabric to activate an adhesive on its underside. A combination of materials can be used and different cutting techniques can result in the final object being more flexible in one direction than the other. No word on what Disney is hoping to achieve with their research into textile printing, but it is clear that the company is taking it very seriously. Head past the break to see the printer in action:
