Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new type of 3D printer that knits 3-dimensional solid objects, according to a new paper published in ACM Transactions on Graphics. From the introduction:
Unlike standard knitting, which makes hollow surfaces, solid knitting makes dense volumes by layering knit sheets—much as 3D printers layer plastic sheets. We envision a future where everyday objects like furniture or shoes—including soles—can be knit as one piece. Since the layers are topologically intertwined during fabrication, solid dense volume knitting requires no adhesives, allowing fabricated objects to be unraveled easily to recover the constituent yarn
Summary Article: https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/solid-knitting-a-different-spin-on-3d-printing-that-can-make-furniture-out-of-yarn/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVRXWlpiyAc
Research:
Yuichi Hirose, Mark Gillespie, Angelica M. Bonilla Fominaya, and James McCann. 2024. Solid Knitting. ACM Trans. Graph. 43, 4 (July 2024)
https://doi.org/10.1145/3658123
Alternate source (PDF): https://markjgillespie.com/Research/solid-knitting/SolidKnitting.pdf
This begs the question[sic], "Would you download a couch?"
(Score: 4, Funny) by Gaaark on Saturday August 10 2024, @05:06PM (1 child)
Can it knit me a Dr. Who scarf like my wife did?
I. Didn't. Think. So.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ElizabethGreene on Sunday August 11 2024, @01:24PM
This machine is unlikely to replace either your wife or flat knitting machines generally. A flat knitting machine has two or three rows of vertical needles, and this kit needs, as best as I can tell, a set of vertical needles per layer of the print. If that's right, for printing a couch out of chunky yarn, that would put the bom at 6,000+ total needles?
It would be cool if someone could figure out automated Crochet. They use a single needle (and dextrous manipulation) to make items of arbitrary sizes.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Ken_g6 on Saturday August 10 2024, @10:50PM
But it sounds like it could easily unravel.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Saturday August 10 2024, @11:54PM (1 child)
Will I print it? I dunno. What's the printer cost? Maintenance? Will I use the printer for other stuff, or just this couch? What is the raw material cost vs the local furniture store?
Of course I'm against DEI. Donald, Eric, and Ivanka.
(Score: 3, Informative) by ElizabethGreene on Sunday August 11 2024, @01:25PM
Yarn is expensive. Unless they can make hollow structures, it's almost certainly cheaper to buy a couch fabricated in the traditional way.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 11 2024, @01:49AM
https://www.compositesworld.com/articles/one-shot-manufacture-of-3d-knitted-hybrid-thermoplastic-composite-structures [compositesworld.com]
Useful weight reduction when the original stamped steel part is replaced with a 3-D knitted thermoplastic composite part. I think we're going to be seeing a lot more vehicle parts made this way going forward.
If they break, in theory one could "darn" them, like darning a hole in a knit sock...but in practice I doubt that will become common.