Gallery: 3-D Printed Fabric That's Made of Yarn, But Can Stop a Knife

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    Photos by Zuzanna Weiss
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    Oluwaseyi Sosanya wants his wonder material to provide the first line of defense them from blunt impacts, stabs, and lacerations with a single, continuous line of yarn and your b
  • Image may contain Human Person and Finger
    Photos by Zuzanna Weiss
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    Each of these digital doilies starts as a length of conventional cotton yarn, a silicone binder is applied to the yarn as it's being woven, and imparts a springy property while helping maintain the shape of the woven matrix.
  • Image may contain Clothing Footwear Apparel Shoe Human and Person
    Photos by Zuzanna Weiss
    03

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    To demonstrate the capabilities of his wonder material, Sosanya designed a custom shoe with help from Lixian (Lisa) Teng, Tomiwa Adeosun, and Rozanna Walecki.
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    Photos by Zuzanna Weiss
    04

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    Sosanya had to develop a new machine that can 3-D print impact-resistant materials using cotton yarn, liquified silicon, and fabrication techniques from the Industrial Revolution.
  • In this new process designers start with a standard CAD file and Sosanya's software generates a weave pattern that can...
    Photos by Zuzanna Weiss
    05

    weaving-07

    In this new process, designers start with a standard CAD file and Sosanya's software generates a weave pattern that can absorb and distribute a set amount of force.
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    Photos by Zuzanna Weiss
    06

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    The next step is reworking the machine to accept specialty materials that don't require silicone binders.
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