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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Textile precision for customized assemblies

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

With the potential to configure patterns and materials with stitch-level control, textiles are becoming an increasingly desirable method of producing mass customized items. However, current textile machines lack the ability to transfer three-dimensional information between digital models and production with the same level of control and accuracy as other machines. Designers are accustomed to generating three-dimensional objects in a digital model then converting these into instructions for machines such as 3D printers or laser cutters, but current design interfaces and production machines for textiles provide no comparable workflow for producing items that rely on precise control of physical size and fit. Customized assemblies-such as footwear or architectural projects with complex geometries--increasingly integrate textile components with parts produced through a variety of other industrial processes. Furthermore, there is growing interest in the use of three-dimensional data, such as 3D body scanning, to aid in the production of custom-fit products. As mass customization becomes more widespread as an alternative to mass production, general-purpose machines are increasingly capable of generating customized items with high efficiency, relying on design-to-machine workflows to control geometric changes. However, current textile machines are unable to adapt to changing geometric information with the same efficiency. The challenges to dimensional precision in textiles are wide ranging, affected by computational interfaces, production machines, and material technique. Addressing these problems, this thesis demonstrates a design-to-fabrication workflow that enables the transfer of three-dimensional information directly to a device for textile production. The proposed workflow seeks a solution to the material, mechanical, and computational bottlenecks related to spatial accuracy in textile production.

Degree

thesis:*
Department dc:contributor.department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Year dc:date.issued
2019

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Tessmer, Lavender.
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Skylar Tibbits.

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
Language dc:language.iso
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123603
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/123603

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
MIT
Base URL
dspace.mit.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Tessmer, Lavender.. Textile precision for customized assemblies. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123603