British Tamicare begins mass production of 3D printed smart textiles

Among all kinds of smart products, smart textiles may be the most peculiar one, and it is said that it can sense the emotions of the wearer and make some specific reaction actions. Although this product is currently "dwelling" in the laboratory, but perhaps soon, we can see their true content, because the British company Tamicare has been developing the fabric 3D printing technology since 2001, and Recently, their new large-scale production line is ready to start producing clothes and other textiles, including the above mentioned smart textiles.

It is understood that Tamicare's iconic textile 3D printing technology, called Cosyflex, is a versatile multi-stage 3D printing process that can be easily customized using liquid polymers and textile fibers (which can be selected according to specific needs). This technology is a patent that the company obtained in 2005. Now, after 10 years of hard research and development, the company has finally used it to start mass production. Their new production line is just starting to run, not only with an annual capacity of 3 million pieces, but also almost no waste.

“Our Cosyflex manufacturing system allows 3D printing technology to be used for mass production for the first time,” said TamarGiloh, CEO and founder of Tamicare. “It can achieve high-density production at a much lower cost than traditional manufacturing processes.”

At present, Tamicare has signed a million-dollar agreement with several well-known sports brands, while other companies have a strong interest in their Cosyflex technology because it can be used without the need for sewing and cutting. Once you've molded complex, multi-material garments, you can make finished shoes in just a few steps.

“Make-up sneakers often require hundreds of processes, and Cosyflex requires only three steps, as well as other complex designs,” said EhudGiloh, Tamicare’s chief technology officer and Cosyflex co-developer. “With it, companies can Complete the entire manufacturing process at the same location without having to build a global supply chain as before."

In addition, Cosyflex integrates smart technology into textiles in new ways. At present, the application of smart materials is mostly woven into the surface of traditional clothing, while Cosyflex can print it together with electronic components such as sensors in the manufacturing process. To further develop the smart application of this technology, Tamicare has conducted joint research with Tim Harper, an expert in medical devices, graphene and smart fabrics.

Graphene is expected to be the most promising smart material due to its high strength and electrical conductivity. Adding graphene ink to the textile printing process is one way to embed smart technology directly into the garment, but Cosyflex is even more powerful – it can integrate almost anything into printed textiles.

“The Cosyflex system makes garments in layers,” says Harper. “Each of these layers can be fabrics, polymers, latex or electronic components. So we can implement our designs in a completely free way. ."