From rigid prints to wearable weaves—learn how to turn your Prusa into a fabric-making machine!
Chainmail was just the beginning. Makers have experimented with printing on fabric and creating flexible sheets, but what if we could go further—much further?
This series explores the full potential of 3D printed fabrics, showcasing how innovators around the world are pushing the boundaries of additive manufacturing into the realm of flexible, functional textiles.
3D printing is rapidly evolving beyond its traditional roles in prototyping and manufacturing, branching into new domains like textiles. While conventional fabric production relies on techniques such as weaving and knitting, replicating these methods with FDM technology presents unique challenges. The layer-by-layer deposition of molten material on a flat surface often results in poor flexibility, cracking between layers, and limited structural integrity.
But what if we could create actual woven fabric from thermoplastics? What would it look like? How would it behave? What features could it offer—and what new applications might it unlock?
In this series, we explore the global efforts of researchers and makers who are redefining what’s possible with 3D printed textiles. We also introduce our own innovation—QWeave, a novel approach to zero-layer fabric—and aim to answer an essential question: Is there a place for 3D printed fabrics in the future of additive manufacturing?
As with any research, a crucial first step is to investigate existing work and understand what has already been achieved. In this section, we highlight notable efforts by researchers and makers who have explored the possibilities of 3D printed textiles beyond the familiar chainmail designs.
Woven fabric / libcatalog.ugent.be
We begin our journey in the cradle of culture—Athens, Greece—where L. N. Partsch, along with co-authors S. Vassiliadis and P. Papageorgas from TEI Piraeus, presented their research at the 5th International Istanbul Textile Congress in September 2015. Their paper explored the potential of additive manufacturing for creating flexible textile structures with mechanical properties such as tensile strength, shear resistance, and bending flexibility.
This work, which also served as Leonie Partsch’s 152-page Master’s dissertation, successfully achieved its goal: to produce woven fabric models with convincing textile-like appearance and behavior. The team developed a diverse collection of 21 textile-inspired models, each showcasing different structural characteristics.
While the resulting fabrics were not yet fully wearable or functionally equivalent to traditional textiles, the research laid a solid foundation for future exploration. It sparked interest in what was then a relatively unconventional topic, helping to legitimize 3D printed textiles as a serious area of study.
Woven fabric / haruki.xyz
Our next stop: the land of the rising sun and wonderfully eccentric TV shows—Japan. In 2019, Haruki Takahashi (Meiji University) and Jeeeun Kim (Texas A&M University) introduced a pioneering technique for fabricating flexible textiles using a consumer-grade FDM 3D printer. Their method involves precisely controlling the print head to weave stringing fibers across a row of vertical pillars, forming a woven structure during the printing process itself. This enables the printer to fabricate upright sheets of textile-like material directly on the build plate—no post-processing required.
The resulting fabric resembles earlier work from the Greek team we discussed, but with a more refined approach. The warp and weft are thinner, yielding a significantly more flexible textile. The team also conducted several preliminary evaluations, including a notable example: a multi-material print using conductive ABS.
While the method requires specialized tools like Grasshopper to generate custom G-code and has some structural design limitations, it represents a commendable leap forward. After several years of relative quiet in this niche, it’s refreshing to see new researchers tackle the complex challenge of 3D printed fabrics with such precision and creativity.
0.3 mm thicc fabric / tangible.media.mit.edu
Crossing the Pacific, we land in the USA, where a team from MIT Media Lab led by Jack Forman introduced DefeXtiles at UIST 2020—a novel technique for producing flexible, tulle-like textiles using standard FDM printers. The method cleverly repurposes under-extrusion, typically considered a printing defect, to create periodic gaps in the filament. These gaps result in woven-like structures that mimic the flexibility and texture of traditional fabrics.
Unlike previous approaches, DefeXtiles emphasizes simplicity and scalability. It’s easy to reproduce and capable of producing fabric as thin as 0.3 mm. The team demonstrated impressive geometric versatility—not just flat sheets, but also curved and 3D shapes, with the ability to encode surface patterns directly into the print.
As straightforward as it may seem, this approach has its own pitfalls. Most notably, similar to earlier work, the pillar-like warp structures tend to snap along the layer lines when the fabric is deformed. This highlights a recurring challenge in printed textile durability, especially under mechanical stress.
With all the work we've seen so far, it's clear that diving into 3D printed fabrics is no smooth ride—it’s a tangled nest of warps and wefts. Here are the main headaches beginners are likely to face along the way:
As mentioned earlier, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves—but most of them are still proof-of-concepts, with no extensive research or testing behind them. That said, we’ll start with a partial solution, then move on to a fully woven fabric approach that aims to relieve all the headaches we’ve covered so far. These alternatives may not be perfect, but they offer valuable stepping stones toward more functional, scalable, and customizable 3D printed textiles.
Fabric made of arcs / research.fildz.com
Well praised by Counter-Strike 1.6 players, bunny hops make a surprising comeback—this time in 3D printing. A jumping nozzle might sound like a glitch, but in this case, it’s a feature. The QArc concept, introduced in 2024 by not-so-pro player Edgaras Janušauskas (Lithuania), uses a hopping motion to print arc-shaped cells that chain together to form a fishnet-like fabric.
This approach produces a rare type of textile that can stretch in both warp and weft directions. Unlike previous methods, it avoids continuous layer lines along the warp, which are prone to cracking under stress. The result is a flexible mesh that can be printed in rolls, with adjustable arc sizes and densities.
While many challenges are addressed, the fishy solution still has its quirks. CAD software is required to model the arcs, and some G-code tweaking is necessary. The final fabric is quite sparse, and the small dots connecting the weft may suffer from weak adhesion, especially under tension.
Woven fabric / research.fildz.com
With all the previous work in mind, we can finally take a deep breath and talk about a true woven fabric—made from everyday filaments like PLA. Presented by Edgaras Janušauskas (Lithuania) in 2024, this concept aims to showcase a textile that isn’t limited by the constraints of FDM technology.
The technique consists of several workflows to create both warp and weft. The weft is 3D printed, while the warp is hand-woven, followed by flattening the fabric with a press. This hybrid approach allows for full customization at any stage of the process—shape, length, height, thickness, and even the materials used for warp and weft can be tailored to specific needs.
QWeave successfully addresses all the major issues discussed earlier. However, it introduces a highly complex workflow that requires not only additional tools, but also custom-built ones to automate parts of the process—hence failing to scale appropriately. While small samples can be produced for testing, the manual steps involved introduce a risk of human error, making consistency and repeatability a challenge.
QWeave and DefeXtiles presented at exhibition in Kaunas, Lithuania.
From early experiments in Greece to advanced techniques in Japan and the USA, the journey of 3D printed textiles has been full of innovation, setbacks, and surprising breakthroughs. Each approach—from vertical pillars to under-extrusion and fishnets—has contributed valuable insights into how we can bend rigid thermoplastics into flexible, fabric-like forms.
All this effort must serve a clear purpose and lead to meaningful, practical applications. At the same time, the techniques and hacks presented here may lay the groundwork for future innovations—even beyond the scope of 3D printed textiles.
That’s why, in future articles, we’ll dive deeper into the methods discussed here, explore their strengths and limitations, and seek out the most promising use cases.
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