This investigation is undertaken based on the indicated improvements for fabric simulations, defined during the panel discussion “Driving the Uniformity of Material Measurements for Accurate Virtual Simulation” at the Product Innovation Apparel Conference (PI Apparel) in Berlin 2017, by experts from industry and academia. According to the expert panel, there is no coherency between methods used to measure the fabric properties and the simulated results of the same fabric among the different software packages. In praxis, fashion brands use different 3D software packages and need to measure a fabric with different methods to obtain the same fabric properties. In addition to the time investment, the simulated results for the same fabric vary significantly between the different software packages. The experts indicated the lack of standardization in material measurements, the lack of correlation between the data of the different measurement systems, and the lack of correlation between the simulated results of the different software packages for the same material. The contributions of the panel were followed up during the next edition of PI Apparel in the United States and resulted in the 3D Retail Coalition (RC) innovation committee to work on the indicated areas to improve the efficiency of material measurements. Moreover, this topic was further discussed during the PI Apparel Conference at Lago Maggiore in 2019 within the panel discussion "How Can We Collectively Achieve the Standardisation of Fabric Measurements for Digital Materials?"This paper investigates, on the one hand, the suitability of the current available measurement technologies for retrieving fabric parameters for precise virtual fabric and garment simulations. The focus is on the main properties required by the software packages—bending, shear, tensile and friction—aiming to identify and specify the most suitable methods to retrieve mechanical fabric properties and to start a standardization process for fabric measurements for virtual simulations.Seven fabric measurement methods and their output data are reviewed, namely the Kawabata Evaluation System (KES), the Fabric Assurance by Simple Testing (FAST), the Fabric Touch Tester (FTT), the CLO Fabric Kit 2.0, the Fabric Analyser by Browzwear (FAB), the Optitex Mark 10, and the cantilever principle. A set of fabrics with different mechanical behavior and physical drape has been tested with the FAB method. Other measurement methods have been discussed with expert users. In addition, fabrics have been tested with ZwickRoell’s (ZwickRoell) measuring systems applying various standard measurement methods, developed for similar materials. This publication will give for each property an overview of the different measurement methods, as well as recommendations based on their accuracy. Further, a SWOT analysis is provided. The outcome of this research can be used to pave the foundation for further work on the standardization of the fabric measurement.
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This research aims to obtain more insight in the perception of fabric drape and how fabric drape can be cat-egorized With the current 3D virtual technologies to simulate garments the fashion and clothing industry can speed up work processes, improve accuracy and reduce material consumption in fit, design and sales. Although the interest in 3D technology is increasing, the implementation on a large scale emerges only slowly. At the threshold between physical and virtual fitting the fashion industry faces new challenges and demands re-quiring responses out of rule. The measurement of fabric drape started in the first half of the previous cen-tury, after the introduction of 3D garment simulation fabric drape gained interest from more researchers to obtain information for the virtual drape. Intensive research has been undertaken to define ‘fabric hand’, however, research is limited for the definition of fabric drape. Better understanding of how fabrics drape and how they can be selected based on their drape might contribute to the understanding of the virtually as-sessed material and accelerate the selection process of virtually, as well as digitally presented fabrics. For this research the drape coefficient of 13 fabrics, selected based on their drape, was measured with the Cusick drape tester. Images and videos of the fabrics draped on pedestals were presented to an expert tex-tile panel who were asked to define the fabric drape. From these definitions categories, as well as identifying key-words, were derived. During a group session the expert panel evaluated the drape categories and identi-fying key-words. In the next phase an expert user panel, familiar with the assessment of fabrics in a virtual environment, assessed the appropriateness of the categories and identifying key-words which were present-ed along with the fabric drape images and videos. Moreover, both panels judged the stiffness and amount of drape, next to that they indicated similar draping fabrics. The relation between the subjective assessment of drape and the drape coefficient was investigated. The agreement of the user panel with the drape categories defined and evaluated by the textile panel was high. Further, the agreement of the majority of the user panel with the identifying key-words was above 78%. A strong relation was found between the measured drape coefficient and the subjectively assessed stiffness and amount of drape. Additionally, the analysis of the fabrics combined by the panels based on drape simi-larity, as well as the analysis of the drape coefficients, confirms with previous research, that significantly dif-ferent fabrics can have a similar drape. Fabrics can be divided in drape categories based on the way they drape, and the identifying key-words are useful to distinguish between significantly different fabrics with similar fabric drape. Moreover, the cate-gories are related to the drape coefficient.
MULTIFILE
The production of denim makes a significant contribution to the environmental impact of the textile industry. The use of mechanically recycled fibers is proven to lower this environmental impact. MUD jeans produce denim using a mixture of virgin and mechanically recycled fibers and has the goal to produce denim with 100% post-consumer textile by 2020. However, denim fabric with 100% mechanically recycled fibers has insufficient mechanical properties. The goal of this project is to investigate the possibilities to increase the content of recycled post-consumer textile fibers in denim products using innovative recycling process technologies.
Currently, many novel innovative materials and manufacturing methods are developed in order to help businesses for improving their performance, developing new products, and also implement more sustainability into their current processes. For this purpose, additive manufacturing (AM) technology has been very successful in the fabrication of complex shape products, that cannot be manufactured by conventional approaches, and also using novel high-performance materials with more sustainable aspects. The application of bioplastics and biopolymers is growing fast in the 3D printing industry. Since they are good alternatives to petrochemical products that have negative impacts on environments, therefore, many research studies have been exploring and developing new biopolymers and 3D printing techniques for the fabrication of fully biobased products. In particular, 3D printing of smart biopolymers has attracted much attention due to the specific functionalities of the fabricated products. They have a unique ability to recover their original shape from a significant plastic deformation when a particular stimulus, like temperature, is applied. Therefore, the application of smart biopolymers in the 3D printing process gives an additional dimension (time) to this technology, called four-dimensional (4D) printing, and it highlights the promise for further development of 4D printing in the design and fabrication of smart structures and products. This performance in combination with specific complex designs, such as sandwich structures, allows the production of for example impact-resistant, stress-absorber panels, lightweight products for sporting goods, automotive, or many other applications. In this study, an experimental approach will be applied to fabricate a suitable biopolymer with a shape memory behavior and also investigate the impact of design and operational parameters on the functionality of 4D printed sandwich structures, especially, stress absorption rate and shape recovery behavior.
Nowadays, there is particular attention towards the additive manufacturing of medical devices and instruments. This is because of the unique capability of 3D printing technologies for designing and fabricating complex products like bone implants that can be highly customized for individual patients. NiTi shape memory alloys have gained significant attention in various medical applications due to their exceptional superelastic and shape memory properties, allowing them to recover their original shape after deformation. The integration of additive manufacturing technology has revolutionized the design possibilities for NiTi alloys, enabling the fabrication of intricately designed medical devices with precise geometries and tailored functionalities. The AM-SMART project is focused on exploring the suitability of NiTi architected structures for bone implants fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology. This is because of the lower stiffness of NiTi alloys compared to Ti alloys, closely aligning with the stiffness of bone. Additionally, their unique functional performance enables them to dissipate energy and recover the original shape, presenting another advantage that makes them well-suited for bone implants. In this investigation, various NiTi-based architected structures will be developed, featuring diverse cellular designs, and their long-term thermo-mechanical performance will be thoroughly evaluated. The findings of this study underscore the significant potential of these structures for application as bone implants, showcasing their adaptability for use also beyond the medical sector.
