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FilaLoom Mechanism

FilaLoom is a tool-changing add-on enabling automatic yarn-embedding in 3D printing, opening up a new design space at the intersection of 3D printing and textile making. To learn more, view the paper at: https://doi.org/10.1145/3828611.3845661

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Specifications

  • A 3D printer add-on enabling automatic yarn-embedding
  • Entirely mechanical, utilises the printer's own movement
  • Printable from PETG, with 3 off-the shelf components
  • Attachable in minutes, no permanent printer modifications required
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3828611.3845661
  • Published at SCF '26: Proceedings of the 11th ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication, Tokyo, Japan, December 2026
FilaLoom is an add-on for 3D printer, allowing them to automatically 'weave' yarns through their prints.
It is a tool-changing mechanism, enabling the printer to switch between printing and weaving operations.
FilaLoom consists of three components: a yarn depositor which places yarn in a print through a hollow needle,..
..a print head cover which can lock onto the yarn depositor,..
..and a station onto which the yarn depositor can be parked.
FilaLoom embeds yarn in a print by winding it around anchors, following a continuous print→weave→print rhythm.
A parametric Grasshopper workflow was developed to create custom GCode which coordinates the printing and yarn embedding.

Specifications

  • A 3D printer add-on enabling automatic yarn-embedding
  • Entirely mechanical, utilises the printer's own movement
  • Printable from PETG, with 3 off-the shelf components
  • Attachable in minutes, no permanent printer modifications required
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3828611.3845661
  • Published at SCF '26: Proceedings of the 11th ACM Symposium on Computational Fabrication, Tokyo, Japan, December 2026