New tools combining digital fabrication and traditional craft disciplines represent new possibilities for creation today. And new challenges. Here follows an overview technique to create your own wearable electronics in the form of copper circuits directly embedded and embroidered into your own garment creations. The process emphasises two digital techniques: 3D printing and numerically controlled cutting, and then mixes them with fabric and textile techniques.
Vinyl cutter machines find their common application in craft making projects, where the appropriate substrates are predominately paper, adhesive vinyl and card. Vinyl cutters have the functionality to manoeuvre the cutting blade to different depths, aligning the process for the requirements of cutting and scoring. In terms of wearable electronic textiles the process encompasses the benefits of laser cutting, but is able to perform on a wider range of materials without burning or singing. A quick test of different cutting settings on the selected base material will be required before proceeding with the final design. Known maker favourites include vinyl cutting through liquid crystal coated linen fabric for aesthetic effects and copper fabric – including adhesive interlining – to make LED circuits. This technique has a lot of potential for e-textiles.
Creating flexible circuitry with a vinyl cutter
1. Design your circuit (in e.g. Autodesk 123D Circuits, Adobe Illustrator)
2. Fuse copper fabric only lightly to a cotton base fabric
3. Perform cutting tests to plan cutting only the top layer copper fabric
4. Cut out the circuit
5. Remove the copper fabric from places not needed
6. Fuse again to glue the copper circuit firmly to the textile
7. Carefully solder the circuit until prepped for functionality
Graphic pattern files can be uploaded and cut within minutes, for those accustomed to 3D files because of familiarity with 3D printing, 2D file formats are quick to learn and easy to understand – numerous guides can be found as quickly as typing your requirements into an internet search engine.
During the workshop, it was demonstrated how 3D printing demonstrated how structures can be manipulated for e-textile projects. Using 3D printing to deposit directly onto fabrics is something that is less explored, but can achieve quite dramatic and effective results. Using 3D modelling software, structures can be visualised and printed directly onto substrates or used to 3D print objects for integration. Potential techniques and applications include: Carbon-based ABS tested for conductivity; overlaying structures onto fibre optics to distort light emission; 3D printing grids in different layers/ intensities to incorporate into projects. The combination of using such techniques within textiles, for e-textiles, and for wearables, could lead to some really exciting possibilities, especially as the range of 3D-printable textile materials expands.
