The Next Revolution in 3-D Printing: Disposable Panties

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-07/the-next-revolution-in-3-d-printing-disposable-panties.html

by T-A • 13 years ago

20 15 13 years ago

bloomberg.com

zokier• 13 years ago

Disposable plastic clothing. I'm sorry if this sounds bit hippie but that sounds really bad idea environmentally.

ISL2• 13 years ago

Ain't nothing wrong with being a hippie when you're right.

ChuckMcM• 13 years ago

Not necessarily, if the materials are chosen well you could recycle them. Not necessarily an improvement in terms of total energy use but worth evaluating.

hosh• 13 years ago

More importantly is to build recycling tech so that such disposable items can be broken down into raw material for 3D printing more ... whatever.

toomuchtodo2• 13 years ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradable_plastic

dmix• 13 years ago

Do any of the these from their website fit that profile?

Various types of liquid polymers such as natural Latex, silicon, polyurethane and Teflon, as well as variety of textile fibres such as cotton, viscose and polyamide enable tailor-made fabrics for any need.

http://www.tamicare.com/#!technology/c1xu8

ISL2• 13 years ago

I imagine the slogan is something like, "Reduce > reuse > recycle > compost."

Just because PLA biodegrades doesn't make it more environmentally friendly than other sources of reusable underwear that also biodegrades....

Printing durable textiles at home sure would be cool, though.

volune• 13 years ago

Japan rejoices.

Claudus• 13 years ago

Or you could just use hydrogen peroxide to get the blood stains out of fabric.

chc• 13 years ago

It isn't just bloodstains. For example, depending on your body's pH, the discharge can also bleach fabric.

scotty79• 13 years ago

Piece of underwear printed in 3 seconds? That's Startrek grade innovation.

haversine• 13 years ago

I told my wife about this article expecting her to be very impressed and she said "so does that mean you have to take your pants off every time you change the panties?"

I wonder if they've solved for this already? There's only one photo of panties on the site that I can find and the style suggests they would require removal of pants. Not exactly fast, and potentially awkward in public restrooms.

The Next Revolution in 3-D Printing: Disposable Panties

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