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Julia Körner’s 3D-Printed Setae Jacket Inspired by Butterfly Wings

The delicate wings of a butterfly have inspired a great deal of 3D-printed innovations, such as stronger structures for electronics and ultra lightweight geometries for better load bending, unique artwork, and even fashion. Pioneering 3D-printed fashion designer, architect, adjunct professor at UCLA, and, most recently, 3D-printed costume designer, Julia Körner has long used the technology in her work. Now, she has turned to 3D printing once again for the design of her eye-catching Setae Jacket, which was, as you may have guessed, inspired by butterfly wings.

“Julia Koerner is an award-winning Austrian designer working at the convergence of architecture, product and fashion design. She is internationally recognised for design innovation in 3D-Printing, Julia’s work stands out at the top of these disciplines,” her website states. “The constantly intriguing aspect of Julia’s work is its embodiment of a beautiful organic aesthetic.”

She was one of 15 designers chosen by non-profit organization Austrianfashion.net to show her work—the 3D printed Setae jacket—at its recent Virtual Design Festival (VDF). The organization is a platform that is focused on promoting contemporary Austrian fashion designers and partnered with VDF to exhibit innovative fashion designs and accessories by designers who were either born, or are currently based, in Austria, and also produce their work locally and sustainably.

Austrianfashion.net said, “[Körner’s] work on the future of 3D, as well as on its current applications, can be seen as revolutionary practice. Strongly believing that the future of fashion is 3D, Körner is making sure she is at the forefront of the revolution.”

Her beautiful, 3D-printed Setae Jacket is part of the 3D printed Chro-Morpho fashion design collection by Stratasys, which we’ve discussed here before, and was also inspired by colorful butterfly wings. The collection is meant to show how technology and textiles can work together, and even create commercially viable pieces of clothing. The jacket was 3D printed out of flexible Vero material on one of the company’s multimaterial printers, either the J750 or the J850, and every bristle resembles setae, which is a stiff structure akin to a hair or a bristle.

“The research explores digital setae pattern design and multi-color 3D printing on fabric, inspired by microscopic butterfly wing patterns. Butterfly wings are made up of membranes which are covered by thousands of colorful scales and hairs, plate-like setae,” Körner’s website states.

She used photographs of Madagascan Sunset Butterfly wings, and the setae on the wings were actually digitized into an algorithm, “which translates the color pixels into 3D bristle patterns which correspond to the form of the garment design.”

“The digital designs are 3D printed in an innovative way, without any support material and directly on fabric,” the site continues. “The relation between the colourful rigid setae and the flexible fabric create enigmatic visual effects when the garment is in motion.”

To form the jacket, the bristles were 3D printed on denim. When the garment is worn, the setae move along with the person, which is a really interesting effect.

“Due to the movement and delicate color transformation, it expresses a true organic animal flow that comes to life,” Stratasys states.

Do I spy a zipper?

It is definitely a unique piece, and while lack of comfort and wearability is always one of my biggest critiques when it comes to 3D-printed fashion, the Setae Jacket absolutely looks wearable to me.

What do you think? Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the comments below.

(Source: Dezeen / Image Credits: Ger Ger 2019)

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3D Printing News Briefs: January 16, 2020

In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, we’ve got a little business news, followed by stories about materials, and finally ending with some 3D printed fashion. PostProcess Technologies is expanding in Japan with a new partnership. Smart International has launched a material partnership program, and CRP Technology is introducing a new Windform material. Finally, a Spanish fashion brand is using BCN3D’s technology to make some of its clothing.

PostProcess Technologies Enters Asian Market with New Partnership

Executives from PostProcess and K.K. IRISU (C. ILLIES & CO., LTD.)

Automated post-printing solutions provider PostProcess Technologies Inc. announced that it’s entering the Asian additive manufacturing market, and expanding the reach of its solutions, by naming K.K. IRISU (C. ILLIES & CO., LTD.) as its first distribution partner in Japan. PostProcess chose the high-quality industrial machinery and technologies specialist, to help serve its growing base of customers in Japan and represent its data-driven technologies because of its expertise and experience. The partnership is mutually beneficial, as ILLIES can now offer its customers access to technology that will automate common post-printing processes and enable “additive manufacturing at scale.”

“K.K.IRISU’s main objective is to educate the Japanese market in additive manufacturing and to continue to be the solution provider for the Japanese 3D manufacturing world. We feel that by adding PostProcess Technologies to our lineup, will help assist the Japanese market to compete with other countries in Additive Manufacturing as well as globally maintain the high standards of the tag ‘Made in Japan’,” said Dr. Frank Oberndorff, President of K. K. IRISU.

Next month, both companies will exhibit at the Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions (DMS) 2020 Expo.

Smart International Introduces Material Partnership Program

This week, Smart International, the global brand licensee in 3D printing for KODAK, announced the launch of a new Materials Partnership Program in order to help its customers achieve a repeatable 3D printing experience, while also meeting the demand for high-quality, yet easy-to-print, engineering materials. The company has already developed, and tested, material profiles for filaments from its partners BASF, Clariant, and DSM, which will help provide optimal conditions for these third party materials on the Portrait 3D printer. Print profiles were created from this data, and can either be accessed from the KODAK 3D Cloud or downloaded from the Smart3D website.

“We feel it is of vital importance to continually adapt to the ever-evolving 3D printing market. Partnering with top filament companies like BASF, Clariant and DSM gives the customer the opportunity to choose the material that best fits their project, and gives them confidence to use these high-quality 3rd party materials with the KODAK Portrait 3D Printer,” said Roberto Gawianski, the CEO of Smart International. “We are pleased to be able to assist in the development and evolution of 3D printing filaments, and will continue to support progress in this area.”

BASF material profiles include Ultrafuse ABS Fusion+, Ultrafuse PAHT CF15, Ultrafuse PA, and Ultrafuse Z PCTG, while Clariant now has a profile for its popular 20% carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide 6/66 PA6/66-CF20 filament. Smart International also created material profiles for DSM’s Novamid ID1030, Novamid ID1030 CF10, a carbon fiber filled PA6/66 copolymer filament and Arnitel ID2060 HT.

CRP Technology’s New Windform P2 Material

Italian company CRP Technology is introducing the latest material from its Windform P-LINE range – the glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polyamide Windform P2, which the company states has “excellent mechanical properties” for its High Speed Sintering (HSS) technology. The new material has high tensile strength (39.24 MPa), combined with increased stiffness (2925.20 MPa), and is great for insulating, as it is glass fiber-filled. Windform P2 is good for producing end-use parts that need high stiffness, as well as manufacturing components with detailed resolution.

“Windform® P2 is the second polymer from P-LINE, the new Windform® range of materials for high speed production-grade 3D printing, introduced on the market less than a year ago,” said Engineer Franco Cevolini, CRP Technology CTO and VP.

“This is a very important property. Windform® P2 is stiffer than Windform® P1 because Windform® P2 is reinforced (Windform® P1 is not reinforced). Most of the reinforced materials for similar technologies currently on the market, show a decrease in the tensile strength property. My staff and I have been able to preserve the high tensile strength in Windform® P2. Therefore, Windform® P2 overall’s performance is superior than the performance of similar materials currently on the market for similar technologies.”

ZER Collection 3D Printing Clothes with BCN3D

The 3D printed parts are made in TPU due to the flexibility of this material.

Spanish fashion brand ZER Collection introduced its first collection at the most recent Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid. The label, which was founded in 2017 by Núria Costa and Ane Castro and designs ‘futuristic, functional and urban clothing with sporty aesthetics,’ incorporated 3D printed parts, made with BCN3D’s Sigma printer, into 12 of the outfits; this system allows for the printing of two different materials, including flexible TPU. ZER Collection is using 3D printing in order to accelerate its production manufacturing processes and reduce waste, while also contributing to the use of sustainable new technologies in the apparel industry.

“We work much faster, because we can print two fabrics at the same time,” Costa said when explaining some of the benefits of using 3D printing to make their clothing, including their ability to “digitize all patterns in order to produce only the necessary fabric.”

“We believe that the use of 3D printing represents a revolution in fashion, in environmental care and in society.”

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

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3D Printing News Briefs: December 22, 2018

Starting with fashion news, moving to automotive, and finally on to business, we’ve got a short but interesting 3D Printing News Briefs for you today. An Israeli fashion and shoe designer just introduced a 3D printed collection at a San Francisco museum, while Bugatti just tested out its 3D printed brake caliper. Roboze has three new points of contact for customers in North America, and Titomic has signed its second MoU of the week for metal powders.

3D Printed Fashion Collection on Display 

Ganit Goldstein, an Israeli fashion design student at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem whose work we’ve admired before, recently collaborated with Stratasys on her graduation collection, titled “Between the Layers,” which consists of six pairs of 3D printed shoes and seven 3D printed outfits. The high-end, haute couture collection was inspired by her time in Japan learning a traditional weaving technique called ‘ikat’ at the Tokyo University of the Arts, and all of the pieces were 3D printed on the Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer by Stratasys. The 3D printed shoes from Goldstein’s collection were unveiled earlier this week at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum as part of the “Arts of Fashion Foundation” International Student Fashion Competition, of which Goldstein is a finalist.

“Stratasys’ advanced 3D printing technology has opened up endless possibilities for my designs, enabling me to print any design at the voxel level in vibrant colors and a range of materials – all in a single print. This capability to control any voxel for any pattern has enabled me to design without boundaries and to combine 3D printing with traditional weaving techniques to create ultra-realistic shoes. For aspiring designers, the ability to fuse cutting-edge technology with traditional crafts is very exciting, unlocking the freedom to design without limitations of past years,” said Goldstein.

“With the knowledge I’ve gained while working with Stratasys, I’ve come to realize that 3D printing is increasingly becoming an integral part of design thanks to the unique design freedom achievable. For me, the key to good design is to first get an understanding of the traditional design methods and foundations, and then explore how I can enhance the essence of the traditional method with new technology. Not only does 3D printing accelerate the design process and enable reduced production costs, it also affords designers total freedom of design.”

Bugatti Tests 3D Printed Brake Caliper

Last year, super car manufacturer Bugatti revealed that it had created the world’s first 3D printed titanium brake caliper, which was also the largest brake caliper in the automotive industry, as well as the world’s largest 3D printed titanium pressure functional component ever produced. Bugatti worked with Laser Zentrum Nord, part of the Fraunhofer research organization, to develop the caliper, and vehicle trials for the part in series production were expected to start in early 2018.

Earlier this week, the Volkswagen Group posted a YouTube video showing an impressive test run of the 3D printed titanium brake caliper developed by Bugatti. See it for yourself below:

Roboze Announces Three New Customer Points of Contact

Italian 3D printer manufacturer Roboze is continuing its expansion, and this week announced  the names of its three new points of contact for its customers in the US, Canada, and Colombia, which will help it create direct channels in the North American market. This news comes right after the company announced that it had closed its first funding round of €3 million to further develop its R&D department and continue its EMEA and USA market expansion.

Its first new partner is ImageNet Consulting, based in Oklahoma City with a total of 18 US offices. The company chose to work with Roboze because of its high quality 3D printed parts and ability to use flame retardant materials. Ontario consulting company TM3 is working with Roboze because it provides the best opportunity for its customers to use a true industrial platform. Based in Medellin, Colombia, i3D is an expert in FDM technology and was impressed with the high quality of parts that were exhibited by Roboze at RAPID 2018.

Titomic Signs MoU with Sino-Euro

L-R: Sino-Euro’s Cristina Cao and S.J. Liang, Titomic’s Jeff Lang and Vahram Papyran, and Sino-Euro’s Alex Zhao

The day after announcing its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China’s Lasting Titanium, Australia metal 3D printing company Titomic announced that it had also signed an MoU with Sino-Euro Materials Technologies of Xi’An Co. Ltd, a Chinese company that specializes in producing spherical powder for the plasma rotating electrode process (PREP). According to the terms of the MoU, which is effective immediately, Sino-Euro will be appointed as Titomic’s Chinese sales distributor and customer support for its Kinetic Fusion systems. It will also provide Titomic with an exclusive supply of its aerospace grade titanium PREP process powders, and develop new metal powder for the Titomic Kinetic Fusion systems.

“We chose to execute this MoU with Sino-Euro for supply of their high-quality Aerospace grade PREP titanium powders aligned with their 50+ years of material science research in titanium and super alloys,” said Jeff Lang, Titomic’s Managing Director.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

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Designer Julia Daviy Stuns at New York Fashion Week with Functional 3D Printed Fashion Collection

Parametric Black Ocean Dress

Clothing is one of the many tools with which we use to express ourselves. I am generally a jeans and t-shirt kind of person, but many of my shirts have quotes from books or movies on them, or logos from places I’ve visited; I also still wear many of my shirts from college. Now, I certainly don’t wear t-shirts to special events – I pull out the dresses for those – but I consider casual clothing to be more of my everyday type of outfit, and I bet I’m not the only one. But that’s one of the great things about fashion – if you consider skirts and dresses to be everyday clothes, you’ve got plenty of choices.

Speaking very generally, 3D printed pieces of clothing are not what I usually consider to be everyday wear. I personally find a lot of 3D printed fashion, while very unique and beautiful, too high concept to actually wear out anywhere. However, some 3D printing fashion designers, like Julia Daviy, are working to change this perception.

Daviy, an ecologist and clean technology industry manager, is creating a new kind of biodegradable fashion out of 3D printed plastic. She believes that 3D printing will change the way clothing is produced, and maybe even one day replace traditional textiles altogether. She also believes that the technology can be used to solve worldwide problems such as chemical pollution, animal exploitation, energy consumption, and material waste.

At this month’s prestigious New York Fashion Week (NYFW), Daviy released the first 3D printed fashion collection in the US that not only uses large-format 3D printing, but is also considered to be a functional, wearable, everyday clothing look for women. According to a press release for the Digital Journal, Daviy’s clothing “aims to liberate the creativity of women by using 3D printing technologies to create an entirely new age for the fashion industry.”

“The 2018 NYFW had history written all over it as different fashion brands across the globe took to the runway to show their latest collection. One designer that particularly caught the eyes of fashion lovers across the globe is Julia Daviy,” the Digital Journal release said. “Over the years, the concept of 3D printed pieces has grown in popularity and acceptance with designers using hard materials with ultra-sophisticated designs to create amazing pieces. However, such pieces are usually almost impossible to wear for everyday activities due to the materials used in making them.”



Daviy’s 3D printed Liberation Collection, consisting of bespoke skirts, dresses, and two suits, debuted on September 6th at The Fashion Meet Technology NYFW event. She used both FDM and SLA technology to 3D print her pieces, and combined multiple filaments. Daviy personally designs each piece from scratch, and also completes each stage of production herself.

“Julia Daviy’s works are particularly unique as all looks are completely 3D printed, which is unlike other designers in the industry that print on several parts and require further post-processing to get the final piece,” the Digital Journal press release stated. “This innovation in addition to the use of “wearable” materials that helps to bring 3D printed fashion into the mainstream of everyday clothing are distinguishing factors of the designer’s collection.”

Pink Coral Neon Skirt

I need to stop right here and say, for the record, that while I think Daviy’s 3D printed collection has some stunning pieces in it (her Polka Dot Exoskeleton dress inspired by sea urchins is one of my favorites), I don’t think the vast majority of it could be considered everyday wear. The closest it comes, in my opinion, is with the Lace Mini Skirt and the Pink Coral Neon Skirt, the latter of which used parametric lines and a 3D pattern not dissimilar to snakeskin. But I can’t imagine walking out of my house on some random Wednesday afternoon in the Fragility Dress.

However, with a few exceptions (looking at you, Parametric Skin Suit), I will agree that most of the collection appears to be pretty wearable. Watching some of the videos on Daviy’s website, the clothing all appears to be breathable and easy to move around in, and I would wear that cute Parametric Black Ocean Dress, 3D printed out of biodegradable PLA and flexible TPU, to any fancy evening event. Just hanging out at the mall on the weekend, however – not so much.

However, feel free to take what I’m saying with a grain of salt – this is coming from a person who is currently clad in denim shorts, a black tank top, and fluffy gray slippers, after all.

Discuss this story and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.