—Ó’Ò∞≤EddyYang
Polymaker Covestro fabric
Materials companies Polymaker and Covestro have partnered to jointly release a 3D printed fabric product offering designed to expand the application areas for 3D printing.
The companies, whose multi-year partnership has primarily focused on high-performance materials, showcased their new offering at the TCT Asia show in Shanghai last week. Polymaker and Covestro believe the offer of 3D printing fabric will be of interest to the textile industry, paring mass production with mass customisation, while also offering environmental benefits. INTAMSYS’ Flex 510 machine and Raise3D’s E2 printer have been outlined as suitable 3D printing platforms for the 3D printing fabric because of their adaptability to flexible materials.
Developed from variants of Covestro’s TPU and TPEE materials, the 3D printing fabric is available in 90A and 95A hardnesses, with between two and five layers typically being laid down to print what is essentially a 2D fabric which can then be integrated into traditional textile production lines with minimal waste. Polymaker has developed a software for the design and slicing of the 3D printing fabric, enabling users to access design styles such as shape change and density gradient for more unique and complex textures and patterns. The software also allows users to integrate a wide range of patterns and infills to generate strength and breathability where needed and facilitate designs that cannot be achieved through traditional weaving techniques.
One application to be outlined by Polymaker and Covestro is in the production of shoe uppers. With the 3D printing fabric, the partners say a complete shoe upper could be printed in 30 minutes, and therefore a single printer producing up to 48 every 24 hours. Deploying a fleet of 30 machines, this could equate to more than 10,000 shoe uppers a week, with, theoretically, each one being different from the last: bringing together customisation and mass production.
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