When you think of 3D printing, you probably think of solid objects. But did you know that you can use a 3D printer to make a flexible fabric? This activity will show you how to design and 3D print your own fabric.

Activity Brief

1. TPU, PLA or another filament
2. Mesh netting fabrics
3. blue tape
4. scissors
5. ruler
6. 3D printer
7. Laptop

Activity Materials

؜1st

؜Picking the Shape

1. Open Tinkercad and create a new design. Drag a basic shape (triangle, hexagon, square, etc.) onto the workplane.
2. Adjust the Length and Width to the size you want for one tile.

Set the Height to about 17 mm

These shapes will become the fabric tiles.

؜2nd

؜Creating the connectors

1. Drag a thin box shape.
2. Adjust the size:
3. Height: about 1 mm
4. Length: long enough to connect two tiles.
5. Place the connector between two shapes.
6. The connectors act like hinges, allowing the fabric to bend.

؜3rd

Start duplicating to create a repeating pattern.