Contemporary textile products. Knitting as a fertile design ground for experimentation with 3D technologies

This paper sets out to provide an overview of the current state of the art in design for the creation of industrial objects that take advantage of the latest innovations regarding the electronic 3D knitting processes. The analysis stems from a desire to illustrate the great importance of fabrics for technical applications and of design for industrial textile products. Specifically, it focuses on the evolution of two-dimensional and three-dimensional fabrics as well as on three-dimensional knitting or smart knitting technologies. The issue is explored in relation to the difference between 3D knitting and 3D weaving technologies with the aim of demonstrating the broad scope of application in different areas of design, no longer pertaining to fashion and clothing alone. The paper will conclude by showing that fabrics, especially those produced by smart knitting, hold great promise and advantages not only in the field of clothing but also in the field of industrial design in terms of both performance and production processes.