Bringing a whole new meaning to ironing for 3D prints

@PiefacePete46

2 жыл бұрын

For us lazy so-and-so's it brings a whole new meaning to ironing shirts too! :o)

I've printed on several shirts with TPU a couple of years ago and they still hold up. Here's some tips: - If you notice that the first layer is overextruding then that can mean one of two things: either your flow is too high, or the first layer height / Z lift is too *HIGH*. If the nozzle is too far from the textile the material can bulge out on top of the textile instead of permeating into it. - Different materials require different settings of flow and nozzle height. I used a small patch on the back of the shirt to test settings. Those patches are still there, tho. - Use clamps to keep your fabric flat, but don't stretch your fabric too much, because the print doesn't unstretch after removing it from the bed. - In Cura there's options for the Cross infill pattern to make the pattern follow the grayscale tones of an image.

@AngeEinstein

2 жыл бұрын

Maybe some double sided tape underneath the print area could keep the shirt from moving without stretching it

@AlexSwavely

2 жыл бұрын

pro screen printers use a similar tactic - spray tack

@ethanbroussard

Жыл бұрын

What shore hardness did you use?

I was sure you were just gonna make a stencil. This is cool too.

@twitte0king

2 жыл бұрын

People have been doing this a long time ago

@benargee

2 жыл бұрын

@@twitte0king no doubt. Probably started as a half baked Idea that turned out better than expected.

LOL I had tried this exactly two days before the video came out because I was curious and it sounded like a good idea. I can confirm that TPU works beautifully. I have the fabric flush on the heated bed and I preheat it to 90°C and 260°C nozzle temperature to make the TPU really soak into the fabric. You can twist it, stretch it, wash it, pour boiling water over it at stab the shit out of it with a spatula. Won't come off :D

In Fusion you can right click the body in the list on the left, then select “save to mesh”, this will create the svg and can be set to automatically open that mesh in Prusa Slicer, saves a step or two.

Had this idea for a while, but never made it yet: colour changing filament on the shirt. Would be cool to see it in action when you step out of your house on a hot day

@Praecantetia

2 жыл бұрын

That's such a cool idea

@Violianom

2 жыл бұрын

@@Praecantetia Thanks!

@PiefacePete46

2 жыл бұрын

Expand that concept for training high-performance athletes... coaches can see at a glance how their training program is working different muscle groups by the colour of the clothing.

This gave me an idea. 3D print the negative image directly on a traditional silkscreen, and voila!

@teoeigi

2 жыл бұрын

I think it will work but gonna take lot of time

@nellibaba

2 жыл бұрын

When I'll have a free afternoon I am gonna try.

@teoeigi

2 жыл бұрын

@@nellibaba please update the results

I love how you are continuing to expand the usefulness and value of 3D printers. It’s brilliant that you aren’t sitting on your laurels and just trying to rake money in but seem to be completely immersed and invested in all aspects of the business and are doing your best every day to make it better and better. Thank you from one small Aussie that is growing and learning from your hard work and for all that I will achieve in the future from it I am truly grateful, thanks mate, 11 out of 10 👍 . 😎

Since it's spring steel, there's no reason not to use magnets to clip the shirt to the bed. You can place magnets around the section that needs to be flat and then tuck in the shirt, that way you don't run into issues with pre-stretching the fabric during the application (and you don't have to take the metal tabs off of your clips)

perfect for single use tshirts like parties, or for staff in events

@Hangs4Fun

2 жыл бұрын

My thoughts exactly

@kaba_me

2 жыл бұрын

Vinyl cut with a craft knife is easier and will actually last.

@Hangs4Fun

2 жыл бұрын

@@kaba_me the point is, many don't have a vinyl cutter, but if they have a 3D printer... I don't understand how that point is lost here

@kaba_me

2 жыл бұрын

@@Hangs4Fun You can easily cut vinyl by hand using a $5 craft knife kzread.info/dash/bejne/aX9l0o-hqJPJlag.html

@Hangs4Fun

2 жыл бұрын

@@kaba_me same point. They aren't selling you on the idea of buying a 3d printer to do that, just if you already have and filament, this is an option if you don't have vinyl or craft knife, neither of which I have nor care to.

I have been printing and ironing TPU prints onto my t-shirts for about 2 years now. Exactly like you guys show in the video with the iron. TPU prints that are ironed on typically last around 30 washings in the washing machine on super heavy wash mode. They also go into the dryer with all my other clothes and have never come loose that way.

@lordcarloshere

2 жыл бұрын

Do you print a single layer, or more?

@Daepilin

2 жыл бұрын

That is great news! I thought (from the video, that tpu might only work if printed on directly. But this should be much much easier

@UnderwaterAnxiety

2 жыл бұрын

@@lordcarloshere I print .2 mm single layer. I've also experimented with double layer if I wanted it to be less see through.

@RC-fp1tl

2 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Thanks for the info! After 30 washings, do they begin to peel off, or break apart? Is there a way to make them last longer?

@millerco2000

2 жыл бұрын

If the print starts to peal off at some point, maybe 15 washes down the road, can you just touch it up by remelting it with an iron?

This is so cool! I spent months in the past looking for a method to do this and you showed it in a few minutes. Love you! Keep it up with the good content!

@sebassanchezc-1379

2 жыл бұрын

Textil vinyl and a a plotter

Great vid!!! Love that you have several options for printing and step by step guide. Thanks!

Finally a reason to iron T-shirts at all :D That is very cool idea. Thanks for sharing.

Brilliant! I was thinking the same idea, but was not sure which filament to use and how to transfer image printed on the bed to fabric. So far, I envisioned to print on glass bed, put fabric on top and iron until plastic melts (or heat the bed to 100C). This way I could remove the skirt beforehand.

I could see this being exceptionally useful for printing logos / identifying marks on pieces where the fabric stays stiff. Things like shoulder pads on armor. Where you want a fabric outer layer over some sort of structure, like foam. Might work well on things like hats as well, although they might not Cooperate well with the printing process.

such a cool concept

Ah... IMPORTANT piece of information on this video. Cleaning nozzles externally with a WIRE BRUSH!!! Need to get a wire brush.. 😁 I've been plagued by dirty nozzles, wasn't sure how to clean them before this.

@mick0matic

2 жыл бұрын

Also get a decent one, mine started shedding its copper furr after the second use. Shes bald now.

@iskandartaib

2 жыл бұрын

@@mick0matic I got some wire brushes, and yes, VERY NICE to know especially when you need to print tiny things out of PETG. Even a slightly dirty nozzle can destroy your print.

HOLY SMOKES THIS SAVES ME SO MUCH TIME AND MONEY!

Very interesting. This past summer I was making t-shirts by laser cutting stencils out of freezer paper, sticking them to the shirt with an iron, then spraying with bleach.

Great video! To the point but with good information. Perfect!

Nice! I have the perfect printer for this, my tronxy x5sa has a bed that a shirt should fit on super easy with no modifications needed.

Thank you for posting this ❤🎉 much love.

This just blew my mind 🤯

so glad this popped into my recommended

Special fabric filaments anyone? XD Very nice! I so love my Prusa! Thank you again so very much for a reliable machine an a a very versatile one.

This Is AWESOME!!! 👍🏻

So stoked!

I print onto Thule fabric, then sew the print in place. Thule is an open weave, very flexible.

@afkafkafk

2 жыл бұрын

Like making a patch right?

Amazing idea. I will have to try this later. Going to look up which filament would be best for this. Looks like it is PLA shown in Slicer.

I like the Angkor Wat wallpaper! 👌

I used dial gauge to level my bed, idea of printing TPU directly on a t-shirt still feels like an entirely different level for me.

This is awesome.

I love your videos!

Amazing 🤩

I saw this on KZread 3 years ago, nothing new. Glad you liked it

this is pretty cool. the concept ya but mainly how real josef is with us

I've been doing this with TPU for a while, on a CR-20 and now the Ender 6. Core XY makes it a whole lot easier to set up, as does a BL Touch. Just make sure your retractions are spot on when using flexibles, because the stringing will stick and ruin it. As for how long do they last? I have work T shirts I printed 5 years ago that have gone through hundreds of washes, and the print is still as the day I printed.

Ingenious 👏

Interesting. I wonder what happens if you make an iron-on decal using TPU rather than PLA. Also I wonder if there's a Z-lift equivalent in Cura.

@watchm4ker

2 жыл бұрын

The issue is getting the plastic hot enough with the iron to melt - or at least squish - into the fabric. Irons, after all, aren't meant to get *much* hotter then 100 C.

@iskandartaib

2 жыл бұрын

@@watchm4ker And you don't want the fabric to scorch, either... I must admit, years ago I was playing with the paper they sell that transfers ink jet prints onto fabric. Those actually work very well. Getting prints onto dark shirts does take some doing, though.

@radianttakanuva8388

2 жыл бұрын

That would be the Z-offset setting and there's a plugin you can install in Cura for that

@iskandartaib

2 жыл бұрын

@@radianttakanuva8388 Any details? Where do I get the plug-in? Actually, come to think of it.. since I use a Sidewinder X2 it's not necessary - the ABL sensor will detect the paper or T-shirt and raise the nozzle accordingly.

nice desktop background

Really interesting

Nice angkor wat background !

Thanks for sharing this. Ages ago I tried this a few ways but never got it to work.

Does the print feel raised? Or, is it smooth on the material?

Finally, I can Design T-Shirts at home for a super low cost

I can definitely see some COSPLAY use cases for this. You could a pattern directly on costume pieces. Though I imagine synthetics are a no go with this process.

What would be the requirements to make a single use stencil this way? You could add fine details this way, normally reserved for silkscreen prints. But preparing a silkscreen comes with its cost and its own set of problems.

@MMuraseofSandvich

2 жыл бұрын

I'm thinking a cutting machine like a Cricut would be a better tool for stenciling.

I like the direct print

Can you make an iron on with TPU, or is it best to melt it right into the fabric?

I have been pondering on this idea for a while; I was going to print in reverse onto my glass print-bed, then try to transfer it to fabric by heating it with a hot-air gun. Having watched this, I might actually give it a try! :o) I have also been considering printing a PCB mask this way to see if it will etch cleanly. I think the porous nature of the print could be a problem though. I don't actually need a shirt or a PCB, so I was probably not ever going to get around to it. Perhaps someday? :o)

I was always told to wash/dry shirts with designs on them folded inside out, I wonder if the iron on shirts made this way would last longer in the wash if you did that, or if you did and I didn't notice. Actually, the plastic printed on a shirt style reminds me of the kind of (iron on?) shirts I've seen at a local shop, I'm curious if those are done in a similar manner.

@valenciaengineering

2 жыл бұрын

I am not sure if the shop shirts are the same but we working with screenprints which seem very similar, requiring a heat press to bond with shirts.

would you be able to pre print the flexi filament and then iron it on

It’s cool!

Couldn't you use the stamp function in meshmixer?

Instead of carving a pumpkin... print a 2D haunted castle or similar in PLA and use hot water to soften it so it molds to the curvature of the pumpkin. Remove the skin over a large circular area first. Once illuminated from the inside it looks like haunted castle in front of the moon.

The preparation process can be a LOT simpler. Use a black and white image. Not grayscale - a 2 color image. I use Cura but I'm sure all other slicers do that too: if you import an IMAGE it will let you treat it as an extruded 3d model. You don't need Inkscape or Fusion. As for permanency, you can also buy fabric paints and print a stencil.

Wow great idea guys....🙄😁

I feel like ironing from the other side would give better results

What material is the first, non flexible version, made of?

Great, but what about the dryer?

Is the step with printing on the baking paper necessary? Why not print directly on the steel sheet, peel it off and then just iron-on throught the baking paper?

@WoLpH

2 жыл бұрын

You want some baking paper in any case because it would otherwise stick to the iron

@paulsmith6505

2 жыл бұрын

Good question, I have just tried this and the print was welded to the baking paper. Please let me know if you try this method (I have ruined 2 of my wife tops, she has made it clear there will not be a 3rd 😂)

@RC-fp1tl

2 жыл бұрын

@@WoLpH yeah but why can’t you put the paper in between later?

@WoLpH

2 жыл бұрын

@@RC-fp1tl Yeah, probably. Although the texture could be relevant as well here.

How about using glue stick to hold the tshirt down on the bed?

ink is so expensive i'm considering straping a sharpie to my 3d printer and print that way

great video, for the iron on did you use PLA or TPU?

@Prusa3D

2 жыл бұрын

TPU ;)

Does it make sense to Print it with ASA? Because its more durable in sunlight. Does this even work with the first method?

you can also print a custom canvas.

Also don't forget to remove the Skirt option 😅

I’ll just do my silhouette cameo4 to cut vinyl for stickers… seems more cost effective

Why stop at a base layer? Lets make some 3d greebles for our wearables!

That's pretty cool. Can you do a TPU print as an iron on?

@Prusa3D

2 жыл бұрын

You can! :) -Mikolas

i am just building my prusa i3 mk3s+ and look prusa videos when i take a breake

Hi, have you tried washing the t-shirts inside out? With normal graphic tshirt, it is better to wash them inside out so the graphic does not come off.

@nairocamilo

2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking of that the moment he put them on the washing machine!

@scottgirdwood5144

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I was going to mention that, thats one big detail that is important especially needed when trying to print with material which is not designed for garment printing, also if you put vinegar on garment then wash it, it helps to lock it all in

@redfox05nl

2 жыл бұрын

@@scottgirdwood5144 vinegar hey? Any ideas why. I know vinegar is great for cleaning, but this sounds interesting

@jakubkoci4626

2 жыл бұрын

Hello, I have not tried it. But of course, it should be more sensitive to the graphic.

Can you print flex filament to the paper too? Needs glue stick?

@randomguyfrominternet

2 жыл бұрын

You can 100% print flex on paper. No glue or anything else is needed. I would actually recommend you to print every model from flex materials on paper tape. Pure TPU/TPE filaments tend to stick so well to the PEI beds that you can have really hard times trying to remove them.

@apinakapinastorba

2 жыл бұрын

@@randomguyfrominternet Thanks man! I’ve only printed Flexfill TPU on the satin sheet so far.

@jakubkoci4626

2 жыл бұрын

If you're using a baking paper, glue stick is needed! Baking paper has a non-adhesive surface and the filament won't stick to it, even if it's flexible filament.

@randomguyfrominternet

2 жыл бұрын

Of course. I understood the question so that you print on paper without any surface finishes. In terms of replicating the process shown in the video - transferring the print onto fabric with heat - you will need a heat-resistant non-adhesive medium with some sort of non-permanent, heat-responsive binder on it. That's how this whole heat transfer thing works.

@apinakapinastorba

2 жыл бұрын

@@jakubkoci4626 Thanks :)

What Filament is used?

I think I will stick with my Stellaire embroidery machine. Far longer lasting and superb detailing.

@Seirin-Blu

2 жыл бұрын

This isn’t meant to be a replacement. Just another method

What magnets are used? I'm keen to try this out but I need to buy magnets and wait 2 weeks for them to arrive, so I'd like to have the right ones on my first purchase

@jakubkoci4626

2 жыл бұрын

They're the same size as the ones used in heatbed.

Wonder if it can be done with ender 3

As wonderful and amazing as the results are, PLA can be as toxic as other plastics when it comes to microplastics - and washing machines can be an important source of microplastic contamination into watersources. Just be mindful when doing experiments like these.

Is this process the same with the MK4?

Which one is cheaper for business or hobby: Epson T-shirt printer (yes, it exists) vs 3d printing (this process shown here with Prusa)

@Hangs4Fun

2 жыл бұрын

Wellllllll, I don't have an Epson t shirt printer, but I do have a Prusa i3 MK3S+ :-)

@scottgirdwood5144

2 жыл бұрын

Lol, how long does it take to 3d print an image? Let alone the filament is not designed for garment printing, it is good for a one off personal use but for business!!! Cant beleave you are asking that question, 3d printer are known for being slow!! So business wise it's a no, 3d printers has no place of any kind in garment printing for long lasting quality, it's only a 'it can do this' thing but it's a waste of time

@randomguyfrominternet

2 жыл бұрын

You don't even need a special model. Many cheap inkjet printers can be modified to work as cloth DTG printers. And no, I would not even consider 3D printers for this. FDM simply lacks detail, X/Y resolution, speed and practicality.

I really want to buy a Prusa printer however I was not able to find here in Brazil 🥲

Washing was fine, but what about pla in a dryer?

@jakubkoci4626

2 жыл бұрын

If it's well-ironed, it should hold. I tried to wash and dry the prints two times and the well-ironed PLA ant TPU prints held just fine.

Time to make some Anaheim Electronics and Capsule Corp shirts.

can we print any design 3-D on T-shirt?

Insane

I'm sure it's possible to import SVG in OpenSCAD, in case one can't afford Fusion.

@albo5194

2 жыл бұрын

you mean the freeware fusion that costs absoultly nothing? :D

@SergioEduP

2 жыл бұрын

also possible in FreeCAD

Can’t you print a mirrored image on the build plate then flip the sheet and iron directly onto the back depositing the plastic on the shirt? Technically you could do multiple models with different colours if only 1 or 2 layers.. if using the textured sheet you would get a nice texture too.

@jakubkoci4626

2 жыл бұрын

That's an interesting idea, I haven't thought of it at all. I'll try it. :-)

@75keg75

2 жыл бұрын

@@jakubkoci4626 probably better if you had a heat press, So you can do it quickly and with pressure. There’s also a higher chance of scorching the shirt.

I did this about 3 year's ago 😉🙂

How many washes do the PLA printed shirts last?

@jakubkoci4626

2 жыл бұрын

It started to peel off after two washes.

Can the iron way be used with pla

@jakubkoci4626

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, of course.

Interestingly 🤔

What filament did you use?

@Prusa3D

2 жыл бұрын

PLA prints were made with Prusament PLA, for the flexible prints we used FilaFlex40 and Flexfill92A, both worked identically more or less. -Mikolas

The easiest is just make a stamp, dip it to the plastisol ink, then stamp it to the shirt.

Hmm. This would probably melt a standard tie.

That's insane

What's that software for converting image to vector?

@Prusa3D

2 жыл бұрын

You'll find all the information in the linked article: blog.prusaprinters.org/how-to-print-on-t-shirts_55588/ ;) -Mikolas

What happens in washing machine though

So I just noticed that before you start increasing the flow in the video it is set to 95 instead of 100, why is that ?

@Prusa3D

2 жыл бұрын

That's the default on our printers, it's so that when you send the printer a command to extrude 10cm, it extrudes exactly 10cm (our printers are shipped calibrated this way), but it would slightly overextrude this way during printing, hence the 95 default flow to compensate for this. -Mikolas

Welp, time to get a direct drive kit and some flexible filament...

@Drummer3333

2 жыл бұрын

Normle TPU works perfect with Bowden setups. Especially with the low printspeed in the video.

@poplix2704

2 жыл бұрын

@@Drummer3333 True