3D Printed Padding with Multi-Plane Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing padding technologies for sports garments, such as chamois and gloves, face issues with breathability, comfort, and durability due to their spongy structure and mechanical properties, which lead to skin irritation, bacterial proliferation, and increased processing times and costs.
Innovation Solution
A method using 3D printing to create a multi-plane structure with overlapping layers of thermoplastic elastomer filaments deposited directly onto fabric, allowing for customizable internal architecture, improved elasticity, and reduced processing steps, thereby enhancing breathability and durability while adapting to anatomical shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If polyurethane foam is used to make paddings, then the padding provides cushioning and protection, but the spongy structure prevents good ventilation and causes skin irritation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses open-cell foam structures with controlled porosity to enable air circulation while maintaining cushioning properties. The foam is designed with interconnected cells that allow ventilation channels throughout the padding, preventing the suffocating effect of closed-cell foams while retaining impact absorption capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple materials including foam layers, breathable mesh fabrics, and moisture-wicking textiles to create a composite padding structure. This multi-material approach allows each layer to perform its specialized function: foam for cushioning, mesh for ventilation, and textile for comfort and moisture management, thereby resolving the contradiction between protection and breathability.
2Shape
If paddings are made by overlapping and gluing multiple foam layers, then the desired thickness and stiffness are achieved, but the processing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pre-formed foam blocks or sheets with graduated densities and thicknesses that are designed in advance to match the required padding specifications. These pre-prepared components eliminate the need for on-site cutting and layering, allowing workers to simply attach ready-made sections to the garment, thereby dramatically reducing processing time while maintaining variable thickness and stiffness requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from assembling multiple thin layers in the z-dimension to using single-layer foam with spatially varying density and thickness. By controlling foam expansion and density during manufacturing, the desired three-dimensional padding profile is achieved in one piece rather than through assembly of multiple two-dimensional layers, simplifying the manufacturing process.
3Ease of manufacture
If 3D printing is used to produce paddings, then a single-piece structure is created, but the regular cell structure is subject to peak load effects and buckling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements spatially varying foam density and cell structure within the padding. High-density regions with smaller, more numerous cells are placed in areas subject to peak loads and compression, while lower-density regions with larger cells are used in areas requiring comfort and breathability. This localized optimization of cellular structure prevents buckling in critical areas while maintaining overall lightweight construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the foam structure with progressive cell collapse characteristics, where the cellular architecture is engineered to deform in a controlled sequence under load. The varying cell sizes and wall thicknesses create a progressive densification curve that absorbs peak loads through staged deformation rather than sudden buckling, enhancing the padding's reliability under impact conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution results in a padding with improved elastic response, reduced defects, and lower production costs, providing enhanced comfort and breathability while minimizing the buckling effect and rigid seams, thus improving the overall performance and aesthetic appeal of sports garments.
Implementation Method 1
A method for producing a padding by means of additive 3D printing, which consists in depositing at least one filament
Implementation Method 2
the at least one filament is made of thermoplastic elastomer material (TPE)
Data Source
AI summary
Method for producing a padding (10) by means of 3D printing by deposition of at least one first filament directly onto a portion of fabric (18) to make at least the first layer of a plurality of layers that define a multi-plane structure.