3D loom - Automated design and manufacturing of tailor-made high-tech fabrics

Abstract

Today high-tech fibres such as glass or carbon fibre are used for a wide range of applications, e.g. aviation, navigation, and even astronautics. Innovative ultra-light flexible membranes and stiff shells are utilized wherever the combination of lightweight and high rigidity is needed. A even newer area will be the construction sector, introducing high efficiency in relation to stability, thermal insulation and of course weight for completely new levels of innovative freeform and high-tech architecture.Unfortunately nowadays' production of these materials has little relation to high-tech, but mostly to handcraft. To utilize theses materials even for cost effective applications an new way of automated and efficient manufacturing has to be developed: By bringing together latest standards of computer simulation and innovative robotics, the efficient production of mass customised high-tech fabrics can be realized.