Fall 2015 The Costume Designer 31
how well the software has been received includes
Microsoft's move to embed it into the Windows 10
operating system,
Going further into the future, 2D printing giant
HP joined the race late last year with the announce-
ment that their Multi Jet Fusion printer would be
ready in late 2016. The machine's projected speed
will be more than 20 times faster that Material
Extrusion printers and 12 times faster than Laser
Sintering. Early models will work with plastics, but
future versions are slated to be compatible with
ceramics and metals, and able to change color,
texture, transparency, elasticity, and conductivity
within the same build.
3D Garments
San Francisco-based Electroloom entered the
scene in May of this year with a since-funded
Kickstarter campaign. Similar to the technology
used in electroplating metals, the Electroloom
currently creates an electric field to guide a nano-
fiber solution onto a template, creating a seamless
garment. The template itself is created by the user
and can be made of any material, so anything from
a quick cutout to an intricate, CAD-drafted vinyl
mold will turn out a finished garment. Conductive
materials work best, but tests on plastics, wood,
and cardboard have been successful. The current
fiber solution is a cotton-poly blend that "prints"
white and takes dye, and is similar to ultrasuede
in texture and drape, with colored versions, along
with silk and acrylic blends currently in develop-
ment. The way the fibers bond over the template
allows them to retain their entire topography, so,
for example, a "print" of a garment with sunburst
pleats or contours would retain those shapes when
taken off the mold.
For more detail on new technology, please visit the
CDG website.
Upcoming Seminars
If you want to learn more about how 3D printing can be applied to the Costume Design and build process, as
well as speak with some on the vendors mentioned above, please keep an eye out for the upcoming 3D printing
seminar and check out the websites below.
lynda.com/3D-Printing-training-tutorials/6343-0.html
3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide/
3dprintingfromscratch.com/
shapeways.com/blog/
microsoftvirtualacademy.com/en-us/training-courses/3d-printing-essentials-8854
au.autodesk.com/au-online/classes-on-demand/search?full-text=3d+printing
Photo and jewelry design by Igor Knezevic (Local 800) for alienology.com.
