Most knitting machine manufacturers that targeted the prosumer market have gone out of business (or left the business of making knitting machines). However, there are large communities of owners who still keep the flame burning.<p>One of the most interesting hacks I've seen is from a German hackerspace, who have taken two Passap E6000 machines and merged them into a fully computer-controlled "Frankenpassap" (only one bed on a normal machine is dynamically controlled).<p><a href="https://www.hackerspace-bamberg.de/Passap_pfaff_e6000" rel="nofollow">https://www.hackerspace-bamberg.de/Passap_pfaff_e6000</a><p>I have a Passap E6000 at home and will soon start working on reverse engineering the firmware in the computer that comes with the device so that we can start the process of migrating to a more modern toolchain.
The paper isn't up yet, but Disney has a paper at SIGGRAPH this year on a DSL and compiler for controlling knitting machines:<p><a href="http://s2016.siggraph.org/technical-papers/sessions/cloth" rel="nofollow">http://s2016.siggraph.org/technical-papers/sessions/cloth</a><p>Unlike most additive manufacturing, knitting is an area where industrial-standard machine technology used for much of the fabric you already wear is very advanced, but computational technology for driving it in nontrivial ways seems to be the main limiting factor in realizing this potential.
Wow, even better than the Nintendo Knitting System!<p>(Nintendo should bring that idea back and make patterns featuring Mario, Goombas, etc. available in the eShop. They'd make a killing off the hipster market.)
There is a good link here about the tech already in this industry: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2S3eLrdqk4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2S3eLrdqk4</a><p>In my opinion end to end automation in the textile industry is only a few rethink robotics style robots away from feasibility. It's only a question of investment.<p>It will be pretty cool when a company puts it all together, because they will be able to deliver a tailor made product and slaughter the competition on costs & overall quality.
There are tons of industrial knitting machines out there, check Alibaba. A home knitting machine that was the equivalent of a C&C machine for knits would be pretty rad. I'd use it all the time.<p>The reality, last I looked, is that the gap is pretty large -- the industrial machines are very feature specific "25 sizes of socks in up to 10 yarn weights!" and the home knitting machines are for hobbyists, full stop.
Computerized knitting machine from 2010:<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q4tPYavChI" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q4tPYavChI</a><p>Knitic: open hardware, open source knitting machine (though you still have to push it by hand, the actual pattern knitting is computerized)<p><a href="http://makezine.com/2015/01/07/circular-knitic-an-open-hardware-knitting-machine/" rel="nofollow">http://makezine.com/2015/01/07/circular-knitic-an-open-hardw...</a>
DARPA is looking at similar<p><a href="http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21651925-robotic-sewing-machine-could-throw-garment-workers-low-cost-countries-out" rel="nofollow">http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21651925-...</a><p>It will really fk up a lot of low income earners.<p>But like a lot of these techs I'm hoping with freeish food, clothing and housing we'll pop out the other end with everyone better off.
Thought I had seen something similar before, and it turns out I was thinking of OpenKnit (at least two years old), which this is based on (as referenced in the article). Good to see that they're evolving the tech still.
Nice machine, but what exactly is "3d" about this other than the hype-factor? Knitwear is 2d last time I looked, unless this thing does pom poms too.
How could this be modified to make something more complex like knitted gloves? Although there are machined knitted gloves they really don't look handmade. In my opinion handmade look increases value.