The making of a Kinematics Dress on Dutch TV

Ever wanted to get a closer look at what goes into making one of our 3D-printed Kinematics dresses? We recently had the opportunity to team up with our partners at Shapeways to create a new Kinematic Petals Dress for a Dutch television special called “Netherlands in 2050.” For the program, which takes a look at some of the innovations that may shape our lives over the next 3 decades, host Rachel Rosier visited Shapeways’ facility in Eindhoven to design and print a custom Kinematics Dress.

At Shapeways, a 360 degree scan was taken of Rachel’s body to create a 3D model. This model was imported into our Kinematics Cloth app and used to customize a dress to fit her exact measurements.

The sections are 3D printed by Selective Laser Sintering. Thin layers of nylon powder are deposited on a print bed, and a laser melts together the parts of the model that are solid.

Rachel later returned to Shapeways to pick up her completed dress. First she had to excavate the the top and skirt from 3D printer bed.

Once all the unsintered powder was removed, the two pieces were unfolded to reveal a garment that is ready to wear.

You can view the entire process at NPO TV’s website (in Dutch).

Many thanks to Shapeways and NPO for sharing this great video!