Anouk Wipprecht’s ardour for design includes trying to find the deeper human connection, exemplified by her newest fashion-tech masterpiece. The HeartBeatDress options 3D printed components and a customized Swarovski crystal necklace doubling as a heart-monitoring sensor that flashes in time with the wearer’s coronary heart fee.
This newest 3D printed trend by Wipprecht is the fruits of a few years of collaboration and exploration with business specialists. Austrian-headquartered crystal glass producer Swarovski performed a central position too, embracing innovation and experimental design for brand new and upcoming tasks.
A collaboration between Swarovski and Wipprecht had been mentioned for years.
“They have been already starting to work with concepts like placing movie over crystals so they may change into contact delicate,” stated Wipprecht. “I used to be serious about connecting with coronary heart fee, so I got here up with an thought for a bit that would translate such information. I assumed it was actually poetic to create a necklace.”
“It was additionally fairly attention-grabbing to see how the crystal may change into so sensorial. We made ten of those models, with the adaptability for the sensor to be set into the gown; nonetheless, additionally it is potential to put on it as a standalone piece.”

3D Printing Vogue Equipment for Kind and Performance
Recognized for her extraordinarily futuristic designs and the appliance of 3D printing expertise within the trend business, Anouk Wipprecht has been designing and creating inimitable items of labor for over 20 years. With all of the ‘regular beginnings’ in trend design faculty, the Netherlands-born designer shortly moved on to illuminating her work with microcontrollers and related electronics.
“In 2000, there weren’t very many individuals doing what I used to be doing,” stated Wipprecht. “I all the time used trend tech to push into the extremes.”
The sort of angle turned even simpler to include as she started utilizing 3D software program and collaborating with different designers, to incorporate Italian architect Niccolo Casas. Engaged on quite a few tasks over time, the collaborators have gained nice cumulative information about what works for trend tech–and what doesn’t. Their aim usually facilities round making a fancy, elegant design that will also be simply worn.
Enter in Wipprecht’s work with Shapeways, and abruptly the designer was constructing a formidable arsenal of technological instruments from which to attract–whether or not in bringing forth her personal inspirations to fruition or these commissioned by others.

Fast Prototyping for Cautious Manufacturing and Placement of 3D Printed Components
The power to carry out fast prototyping as mandatory with Shapeways has led to better productiveness for Wipprecht in creating difficult designs. And though her type might mirror an ethereal high quality at instances, Wipprecht realized way back that 3D printed trend components should be sturdy sufficient to face up to forceful affect too. That is very true for her work that includes advanced items just like the Proximity Gown with tentacles that attain out and even dance in response to people close by, or the vertebrae-like construction of the HeartBeatDress. With people sporting her attire for hours at a time, 3D printed fashions should additionally be capable to stand up to the trials of use and journey.
“You take a look at how issues can kind across the physique and the place you want the 3D prints,” stated Wipprecht. “The query is find out how to make it aesthetically pleasing and comfy to put on.”
Motion is one other necessary issue, as totally different components of the gown mustn’t have an effect on the wearer’s posture or general stream of the design. There may additionally be a compromise between displaying off components like servo motors and different electronics with a mechanized look, or hiding them with 3D printed housings. Moreover, whereas one gown might have components constructed into the shoulder or hip space, they could be engineered extra strategically in one other.
“I additionally get pleasure from strategies like utilizing a translucent, clear 3D printing course of to make attention-grabbing mild results potential,” stated Wipprecht.
For every challenge she collaborates on with Shapeways, Wipprecht states that workflow all the time proves to be stress-free with 3D printed components arriving on time, and often in tandem with all of the electronics to be built-in too. The style-tech designer factors out that the partnership with Shapeways has continued on seamlessly all through the years as a result of she is aware of she will be able to rely on pace, and an excellent estimation on components supply ‘with none excuses or issues.’

Increasing Design Freedom with Superior 3D Printing Instruments
Wipprecht states that she additionally appreciates the massive collection of supplies Shapeways gives, together with offering complete data on the web site that makes it simpler to do her analysis in making selections for her designs. Though having fun with continued experimentation with supplies like Thermoplastic Urethane (TPU) for various tasks, Wipprecht continues to depend on most popular supplies like Nylon 11 [PA11 (SLS)] – a fabric that designers and engineers additionally discover particularly efficient attributable to its biocompatibility.
Derived from pure supplies, Nylon 11 [PA11 (SLS)] is sturdy, sturdy, impact- and chemical-resistant, and likewise simple to recycle. Together with expertise like Selective Laser Sintering, designers like Wipprecht get pleasure from a lot better freedom since assist constructions don’t should be compensated for–in addition to eliminating any post-processing efforts to take away them which may not directly end in injury.
The style-tech designer is thought for her meticulous consideration to element, regardless of work that’s usually encapsulated inside tight deadlines. Generally there might solely be six to eight weeks allotted to good a group, that means that Wipprecht should depend on closely streamlined improvement and manufacturing, particularly for her designs that combine 3D printing robotics.
“I do a number of 3D printing and robotics, creating designs across the physique so they’re robotic and sensoric,” stated the style tech designer.
“With Shapeways, you create your design, test and add it, and after that precisely what to anticipate.”

About Shapeways
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