Inspired by 3D printing, the Electroloom Mini is a machine capable of making small pieces of colored polyester fabric in 20 minutes or less. Whether it’s creating a pocket square or napkin, the process is fairly simple for anyone with a little CAD knowledge. If this all sounds familiar, that’s probably because you recognize the innovation from Kickstarter. The Bay Area-based team had launched a crowdfunding campaign last year, which went on to attain over $82,000.
To get started, users first must devise a mold for their item, which can either be done via CNC, 3D printing or by hand. After placing the mold into the Electroloom, a customized hybrid liquid is injected into the device and is guided onto to the fabric by an electric field. The material passes through an electrically charged nozzle and spun into nano-fibers, which bind together to form a seamlessly thin yet strong article that can be flexed, draped, folded, and of course, worn.
While some may think of it as magic, the Electroloom employs an electrospinning process that the startup dubs “Field Guided Fabrication,” or “FGF” for short, which is responsible for converting the liquid solutions into the solid fibers that are deposited onto the 3D mold.
Below you can see the Electroloom Mini and its unique process in action, which the team has been working on since their Kickstarter run. According to the clip, current colors include blue, yellow, white, grey, pink, and purple, while fabrics can also be created with embedded textures and words.