Stratasys Uses 3D Printing to Help Personalize and Upcycle Garments

Stratasys desires to take customers’ used clothes to a different dimension.

The 3D printing firm introduced final week that it had launched a direct-to-garment answer as an addition to its current TechStyle printer, the J580. The printer will now have the ability to apply colourful, 3D-printed designs onto pre-existing clothes, which Stratasys expects will entice customers searching for customized experiences and elegance.

The corporate introduced its City Tattoo denim assortment earlier this month at Texprocess in Germany. The gathering is supposed to “promote a deeper emotional connection” with clothes, in the identical manner that folks really feel related to tattoos on their our bodies.

Designers like Karim Rashid, Travis Fitch and Zlatko Yanakiev helped develop the City Tattoo assortment, which Stratasys mentioned it believes will “enchantment to a number of manufacturers that attain throughout numerous socio-economic backgrounds.”

Zehavit Reisin, senior vp of economic options for Stratasys, mentioned that degree of customization provides manufacturers the chance to meaningfully apply the 3D printing know-how.

“Many manufacturers are restricted in how a lot they’ll mass produce denim clothes, whereas sustaining a degree of personalization that has which means to the wearer,” Reisin mentioned in an announcement. “We’re giving manufacturers the chance to do one thing outstanding, to convey extra character to their clothes line, whereas pushing a extra sustainable enterprise follow that appeals to a number of audiences throughout the patron spectrum.”

Stratsys will make the direct-to-garment printing trays in two totally different sizes, which is able to assist keep away from pointless waste and assist a spread of clothes and sizes. The system can be utilized on denim, cotton, polyester and linen, based on the corporate.

The know-how’s multifaceted use circumstances might assist persuade manufacturers and customers alike of the inventive methods they’ll use additive design to upcycle clothes.

In keeping with researchers, the typical American client generates 82 kilos of textile waste yearly. Some manufacturers have already turned to restore and resale packages, whereas others have began take again packages for eventual textile recycling. But when customers can repurpose objects earlier than finish of life, they could be inclined to buy fewer clothes new.

Naomi Kaempfer, Stratasys’ inventive director, mentioned the know-how goes a step past embellishment—it provides life to clothes, which in flip provides customers the liberty to precise themselves by means of their clothes.

“By including layers of tales and symbolism that resonate with the individuality of the wearer, these tattoos assist customers promote their id, and have fun their individuality. It’s a testomony to the transformative energy of additive manufacturing know-how in trend,” she mentioned in an announcement.