{"id":36224,"date":"2017-12-13T16:27:14","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T21:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/?p=36224"},"modified":"2022-08-15T17:07:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T21:07:33","slug":"3d-knitting-future-customizable-sustainable-textiles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/3d-knitting-future-customizable-sustainable-textiles","title":{"rendered":"3D Knitting the Future of Customizable, Sustainable Textiles"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think of 3D printed<\/a> clothing, you might think of<\/span> Iris van Herpen<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Nervous System<\/span><\/a>, or something similarly futuristic. But did you know that 3D knitting has actually been around since the ’90s?<\/span><\/p>\n

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What is 3D Knitting?<\/b><\/p>\n

3D knitting overall has different definitions. The most broad would be that it is digitized knitting. You send a file into a program, and the machine knits the information. It’s the computerized version of punch cards used on manual knitting machines. The result of digitization is that you can easily create complex designs with different yarns simultaneously. What many have found to be the biggest advantage of 3D knitting is that it lowers the cost of creating individualized knits. This technique also enables people to use 3D scans of their bodies to create clothing that is individually tailored.<\/span><\/p>\n

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There are a few industrial knitting machines out there specifically designed for 3D knitting.<\/span> Shima Seiki’s Wholegarment machine<\/span><\/a>, which has four needle beds, is capable of knitting entire garments without any seams or need for finishing. Not only does that technology save the time and labor cost needed to sew the seam, it also improves comfort and wearability\u2013all because of 3D knitting. Take a look at the <\/span>finished product<\/span><\/a>, sold by Ministry of Supply.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Courtesy Ministry of Supply<\/p><\/div>\n

3D Knitting Uses and Applications<\/b><\/p>\n

3D knitting is commonly used for running shoes, and has been popularized particularly by Nike’s Flyknit sneakers. The entire knit body of the shoe is manufactured in one piece and being a fully knit textile, there is no need for traditional eyelet hardware.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: IKEA PS 2017<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

3D knitting is also being used by<\/span> IKEA<\/span><\/a> to create more durable furniture with a variety of textures such as wool, linens, cottons, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

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An OpenKnit project at work<\/p><\/div>\n

3D printing and 3D knitting can come together in many interesting ways too; in fact, you can actually 3D print your own knitting machine\u2013how about that for advancing 3D knitting! <\/span>OpenKnit<\/span><\/a> was a project started in 2014 to create an open source knitting machine that allows anyone to 3D print and assemble their own knitting machine, powered by a software interface. Making your own machine from scratch means you can customize it for whatever material you want, allowing more freedom in experimenting with wearable technology. The team behind OpenKnit has now moved on to create<\/span> Kniterate<\/span><\/a>, a commercial digital knitting machine.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Via Unmade<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Unmade<\/span><\/a> is a platform enabling users and e-commerce brands to design their own one-of-a-kind knitwear. By partnering up with factories, they allow both consumers and producers to take advantage of the customization made possible by an industrial digital knitting machine. On-demand manufacturing also reduces the waste of creating multiples of a product that may never be sold out, and that would not fit anyone perfectly. Recently they have been featured at MoMA’s exhibit,<\/span> Items: Is Fashion Modern?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How 3D Printing and 3D Knitting Come Together<\/b><\/p>\n

The world of digital 3D knitting is rapidly replacing the old world of manual knitting machines and traditional manufacturing. What do you think? Will traditional looms go the way of the steam engine, or is there a happy medium between handcrafting and digital 3D production? Let us know your thoughts on 3D knitting. Tag us on social media!!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

3D knitting is broadly a form of digitized knitting where you may send a file into a program, and the machine knits the information. One of the biggest advantages of 3D knitting is that it lowers the cost of creating individualized knits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":36240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[510],"tags":[2269,2272,2305,612,2274,2270,2273,1872,2271],"class_list":["post-36224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3d-printing-industry","tag-3d-knitting","tag-3d-textiles","tag-clothing","tag-fashion","tag-ikea","tag-knitting","tag-nike","tag-sneakers","tag-textiles"],"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/KnittingMachine_openknitorg.jpg","yoast_head":"\n3D Knitting - 3D Print Digital Knitting - Shapeways<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"3D knitting is broadly a form of digitized knitting where you may send a file into a program, and the machine knits the information. 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