Drapability of 3D-Printed Auxetic Structure Textiles for Wearable Products Through the Digital Image Processing Technique

Abstract

This study aimed to explore drapability of 3D-printed auxetic structure textiles with different geometries through the digital image processing technique in order to showcase their potential applications in 3D-printed wearable product development. A 13 (textile samples) × 3 (repetition) experimental research design consisting of 10 3D-printed auxetic structure textiles and three traditional lace fabrics were utilized in this study. The findings indicate that 3D-printed multi-angular auxetic structures exhibited the highest level of drapability followed by sinusoidal and triangular auxetic structures; these multi-angular structure textiles with draping coefficient ranging from 26.82% to 31.43% have a great potential to simulate traditional lace-like fabrics. A statistically significant correlation also was found between drapability and weight of 3D-printed auxetic structure textiles. This study demonstrates a true potential of 3D-printed auxetic structure textiles as alternatives of traditional lace textiles and their application in the wearable product development.