Nervous System 3D prints link bodice dress with Formlabs’ new 3D printer, the Fuse 1, using a smaller build volume and greater compression.

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It was a high-stakes, clandestine meeting between a 3D printer manufacturer and a pioneering design studio, and the topic of discussion was a shirt. It’s been revealed how Formlabs recently approached Nervous System about a ”new secret project.”

The project concerned the imminent release of the Fuse 1 desktop SLS 3D printer from Formlabs. Retailing for $9,999, the company is fomenting revolution by bringing the cost of industrial rapid prototyping down to a tenth of what it does with existing SLS machines.

But first, they had to prove what the new machine is capable of. So they asked Nervous System to 3D print their Kinematics Link Bodice Dress on a Fuse 1. Kinematics is a technique devised by Nervous System which works by 4D printing complex, collapsible parts.

However, the printers normally used by Nervous System to print their dresses are much larger than the Fuse 1. As Nervous System Co-Founder Jessica Rosenkrantz explains:

“Our dresses are printed on the largest EOS printer at Shapeways, which has a build volume of 65x55x35 cm. The Formlabs Fuse 1 is only 1/14th the size of that machine. A Kinematics Dress definitely wouldn’t fit in there!”

Challenge accepted, the team went back to the drawing board and redesigned the dress. They created a new chainmail system, so the link bodice dress could be printed in a much smaller build volume.

Creating a Link Bodice Dress with More Compression than Ever

The experiment was a success; Nervous System were able to print the bodice as a single piece in the Fuse 1 3D printer. You can see the design process in the embedded video above.

The company shrank a size 6 dress down to fit half of the build space of the Fuse 1. Through this process, they were able to create the most intricate garment yet. The Link Bodice has 11,311 interlocking parts.

Compared to the old design, the new chainmail has much greater compression. Rosenkrantz says this compression offers a lighter, flexible and fabric-like dress. Moreover, she teases that this is just the beginning stages of this new project.

“Once we’re a little further along,” she says, “we will release more information about the design system and simulation we invented to make this garment possible.” Watch this space for further updates.

Source: Nervous System