Disney’s research division, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and Cornell University, has developed a new 3D printer that is capable of creating objects out of layers of fabric. 3D printers create three-dimensional objects by depositing one layer at a time until the object is completed.
The technique basically works by cutting a sheet of fabric with a laser, treating the fabric with a heat sensitive adhesive, cutting another layer of fabric and putting it on top of the first layer. This processes continues until the desired object is built.
When the object is built it looks like a cube of fabric. The excess fabric is peeled away, revealing a soft 3D object inside.
The printer can automatically feed two separate fabric types into a single print, allowing specially cut layers of conductive fabric to be embedded in soft prints.
