DefeXtiles: Revolutionizing Textile Fabrication with 3D Printing

Jack Forman's DefeXtiles Wins Silver in A' Textile, Fabric, Textures, Patterns and Cloth Design Award 2021

For thousands of years, the process of transforming textiles into shaped forms has remained largely unchanged. High-tech methods such as machine knitting require expensive machinery and a steep learning curve, while low-tech methods like traditional sewing demand painstaking processes. Recognizing this gap, Forman developed DefeXtiles, a technique that leverages under-extrusion defects to quickly print thin, flexible textiles into complex 3D shapes. This approach opens up a myriad of applications, including the printing of full-sized garments, deformable tangible interfaces, and ultra-tough shuttlecocks.

DefeXtiles stands out for its unique properties. It uses an unmodified 3D printer to produce textiles that are thin, flexible, and breathable, combining the advantages of 3D printing—rapid iteration, hands-free fabrication, and computer-aided design—with the properties of textiles. The mechanical and aesthetic properties can be tuned through material and parameter selection, offering a high degree of customization.

The realization of DefeXtiles involved overcoming significant creative and technical challenges. The goal was to democratize access to 3D textile fabrication by developing a technique that requires no new software and can be executed on a standard 3D printer. The result is a strategy to 3D print quasi-woven fabrics that are thin, flexible, and fast to fabricate, capable of producing complex geometries such as pleated, curved, and metamaterial structures.

Forman's work on DefeXtiles began in October 2019 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and concluded in June 2020. The project was presented and demonstrated at the ACM User Interface Software and Technology Symposium 2020. The research underlying DefeXtiles introduced a new approach for quickly printing textiles, demonstrating the potential applicability of this technique for smart textiles, tangible online shopping, toys, fabric design, and everyday life.

The Silver A' Design Award is a testament to Forman's innovative approach and the potential of DefeXtiles. The award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that demonstrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.