3D Printed Dress

Playing with 3D printing

Always interested in new technologies, I experimented with 3D printing in the summer of 2023. I learned about fill patterns, material density, and the complications that come with using a lower-end machine. Inspired by a content creator named SewPrinted, I challenged myself to create a stylish garment out of 3D printed fabric.

process & DEVELOPMENT

Step 1. In order for 3D printers to work efficiently, they depend on “fill patterns”, which are patterns used to fill the spaces in the middle so that the print isnt a solid chunk of plastic. The fill pattern I used for my project is the “Gyroid” one because it kept my material mesh and sturdy. The pattern's “density”affects how thick the final print will be. For the project I printed at 39% density.

Step 2. Each fabric square took about 3-4 hours to print. The printer ran into many difficulties such as:

Material sticking to the heat plate
Heat plate being un-leveled and therefore the fabric would come out thicker and thinner in different areas
Filament being jammed or hardening in the tubes
The fabric tile not fully printing before the printer would shut down

Step 3. Using an existing jean overall dress as a template, I was able to map out how many fabric tiles I would need to create the garment. About 18 fabric squares were needed to create enough material (not including the amount of material that was created but unusable due to print error).

Step 4. The fabric tiles were hand-stitched together using normal needle and thread. The gyroid pattern allowed for easy stitching without piercing the plastic material and creating rips. A normal 3D printed layer would feel as though stitching paper, while this pattern made it feel like sewing through actual fabric.

Final. A blue flower and belt detail were added as design. A zipper was also sewn into the back of the dress for easy wear. Honestly, the dress was hard to sit in and fairly uncomfortable. The material was not breathable and this was in the middle of Vancouver summertime so the dress was very sweaty to be in. Overall this was a cool experiment but wouldn't wear in my day to day life.