DigiKnitting: Enabling Knitting in 3D

Abstract

Volumetric knitting is an emerging additive manufacturing technique that combines the layer-by-layer logic of 3D printing with the interlocking loop structure of knitting. Unlike conventional knitting, which is largely limited to 2D manifold structures comprising of flat or hollow forms, volumetric knitting enables the production of solid volumetric three-dimensional textile structures from a single continuous yarn without knots, adhesives, or assembly. Similar to traditional knitted fabrics, these structures can be completely constructed from a monomaterial and conversely, are fully reversible, creating a fully monomaterial system with the potential for near-complete material recovery and recycling.These characteristics offer potential advantages in the context of growing environmental challenges and increasingly stringent sustainability regulations. In particular, the European Union’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims to transform the textile sector by 2030. Volumetric knitting may represent a response to these demands by enabling textile structures that are inherently compatible with circular design principles, and end of life retrieval. A digital representation of volumetric knitting in combination with machine instructions creates opportunities for on-demand production and mass customization, allowing stitch topologies to be adapted to specific functional or ergonomic requirements. Furthermore, because the material can be undone and re-knitted into a new geometry, volumetric knitted products can be reconfigured throughout their lifecycle, behaving more like update-able digital file than fixed physical object.Despite this potential, this technology remains in an early stage of development. This paper addresses key barriers to its wider adoption through a Research through Design (RtD) approach focused on improving the digital manufacturability of volumetric knitting. The research contributes to fields of software design and fabrication methods.First, an open-source digital design platform was developed to support the visualisation and design of volumetric knit structures, lowering the cognitive barriers associated with creating three-dimensional knit paths. Second, a fabrication system and a mechanical tool was designed to improve reproducibility and explore pathways toward future automation. The resulting prototype demonstrates the feasibility of producing solid knitted volumes through a structured process. Together, these contributions form an integrated framework in which digital design and fabrication methods reinforce one another. By providing open-source tools, methodologies, and design guidelines, this paper contributes to the democratization and future industrialization of volumetric knitting as a novel form of additive textile manufacturing, while supporting further research into sustainable and circular textile production.

Keywords: Digital fabrication, volumetric knitting, DigiKnitting, textile engineering, circular design

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1008073