The textile industry is constantly striving for more environmentally friendly processes and researching innovative functional features that add value for the consumer. Innovative textile materials include fabrics with 3D polymer printing on the fabric surface.
In our research for the master's thesis, we developed textiles with enhanced protective properties, which were achieved by direct 3D polymer printing on fabrics with different construction properties.
We wanted to determine the most optimal fabric construction with direct 3D printing of polymers on fabrics, which would determine the optimal adhesion and flexibility for designing of functional textiles with increased protective properties. Therefore, we produced different fabrics in weaves satin, twill and panama, with two weft densities, namely 25 and 30 threads/cm. The warp density was the same for all fabrics, namely 40 threads/cm. The raw material composition of the weft yarn was 100% polyester yarn and 100% cotton yarn. For printing with the WANNAO Duplicator 4S 3D printer, we used the two plastic polymers most commonly used in textile printing: ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PLA (polylactic acid).
Based on the measured adhesion properties, the most optimal fabric constructions were selected, on which semi-circular 3D figures were printed. The discontinuous fabric print characters offer sufficient flexibility and air permeability. Both parameters are important for comfort. The measured physical-mechanical and permeability properties of functional fabrics showed that 3D printing of polymers on the fabric increases abrasion resistance by at least 70%, although some other fabric properties are changed as a result. Compared to rough patterns, the surface mass and thickness of fabrics with 3D printing have increased, while their air permeability and stiffness have decreased. All this indicates that this form of functionalisation is only suitable for partial reinforcement of protective clothing.
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