On the Origins of 3D Printing
When weaving, fiber is spun into yarn, and assembled into form through an intersecting warp and weft. Warp strings are tensioned vertically, and weft strings are passed over and under the warp to create different structures. Every intersection of the warp and the weft can be represented by and represent a bit of information, a physical expression of primitive code. Creating a woven is a layer deposition mechanism where each weft represents a form of extrusion like a line of g code, a 3D printing programming language. Modern textile methods and technologies make this relationship more clear; whether in books like The Woven Pixel, The Handweaver's Pattern Directory, or early punch cards, weave drafts are some of the first forms of code that provide a blueprint for the continuous extrusion of tangible objects.
Computational methods for generating physical objects have paved the way for some of the most profound digital technological innovations throughout mechanization. From the Jacquard looms influence on the first analytical engine, to the weavers who built the memory systems for NASA’s Apollo missions at MIT, tangible representations of complex digital interactions find an origin point in textiles. The following 3D textile demonstrates how, like a multi-material filament printer, multiple fibers can be distributed across a dimensional textile simultaneously. The coexistent flexibility, durability, transparency and lightweight nature of this form go beyond the limits of traditional printing methods.