Crochet Digital Assemblage - Notes on additive manufacturing of textile in architecture

Abstract

The past decade has seen a growing interest in the use of textiles in architecture, driven by advancements in digital knitting technology. However, while digital knitting machines have enabled the creation of 3D-shaped textiles, they still face limitations in terms of handling complex topologies, output scale, and material thickness. This study proposes crochet as an alternative to knitting in large-scale applications due to its ability to create seamless 3D shells. Although there have been significant advances in the computation of crochet instructions, placing it within the context of additive manufacturing, a digital fabrication method for volumetric crochet is still lacking. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of the recent history of computational tools utilized in fabricating continuous yarned 3D textiles together with an in-depth comparison to reveal the significant differences between knitting and crochet. It then proceeds to identify the relevant design attributes for a novel technology by analyzing hand gestures and toolpaths. Finally, the paper presents a novel digital fabrication device designed for large-scale crochet frameworks, which highlights the considerable advantages of crochet over other related fabrication methods. The proposed robotic device employs patented technology, which enables unprecedented fabrication capabilities in the field and opens new prospects for incorporating large-scale textiles in architecture.