A 3D Printer Gets a Yarn-Laying Toolhead to Weave Thread Into Prints

FilaLoom adds a yarn-placement toolhead alongside a conventional plastic-extrusion head. It can place yarn at selected points during a print, producing mesh-like structures and three-dimensional textile-like shapes that combine thread and plastic.

Developed by Joram de Haas, the system lays down the thread automatically by switching toolheads rather than requiring someone to insert it by hand.