3D Printed Clothing? Can this really be done?
Yes and No. Yes, it can be done, but it will be made from plastic if that’s your thing. A lot of thinking, planning and engineering is needed in creating a garment made using 3D printing. You have to think and design like an engineer in order to make your garment actually function to some degree.
3D Printing can only make parts in the material it uses. So, no cotton woven fabric can be made but instead stiff material like plastic or resin components. In order to make the material ‘move’ you can think of it the same way you would about the medieval chain-mail armor. Each sold link is connected to the next. The example below was made of hundreds of separate pieces all assembled and connected to each other after each was 3d printed using sls (selective laser sintering) technology and nylon material.
