Digitally Woven Series Re-Recycles Plastic Into 3D Printed Creations

When art and design meet 3D printing, there is always a measure of excitement and anticipation to see where form meets function or where reality and vision collide. Indeed, the role of 3D printing within the design world has come far and made several bold statements along the way. Chiefly among them is the concept of sustainability, which has been incorporated into many projects aimed at zero waste or reusability. Two more names added to that list are British designer Gareth Neal and Dutch studio The New Raw, who partnered together for a collaboration series of 3D printed objects made out of recycled plastics.

The Digitally Woven series, as it is known, is remarkable for two main things. First, the series’ use of ‘thrice-recycled’ plastic as a material demonstrates the reusability and viability of recycled products. And second, the material is extruded in interlocking loops, rather than the standard stacked layers of filament seen in 3D printing. The reason for this may not be evident. But while using and re-using materials over and over is a noble concept, it can pose risks as the structure of the material can break down over time and during reclamation. Thankfully the creators were able to circumvent this risk thanks to their innovative design style. The loops are able to retain their strength because of their interconnected layout, and the thickness of the extruded material. In addition, this method helped lower the overall amount of material needed to complete the project.

The fully 3D printed design resembles the loops on a knit or woven object.

This looping construction is not without its own reasoning either – as the collab team wanted to explore traditional crafting methods such as weaving and knitting through the medium of 3D printing. Because of the unique structure of the ‘woven’ print, they hoped that they would be able to ignore any small imperfections, as any irregularities would be supported and obscured by the overall structure of the loops. The printed object would therefore save time and reduce waste because any imperfections or misprints would continue to be supported by the strength of the surrounding structure.