遗憾！服装3D打印公司Electroloom宣布倒闭

为推动3D打印产业的发展，全球许多公司都在尝试将这种技术与人们的日常生活相结合，比如用它来制造衣服。Electroloom就是这样一家初创企业 — 事实上，他们已经取得了初步的成功，研制出了能打印出小尺寸织物的服装3D打印机。但现在，南极熊却得到了一个令人遗憾的消息：由于无法解决资金短缺的问题，这家公司在2016年8月前宣布倒闭。

事实上据南极熊了解，在这之前，Electroloom公司的发展其实可以说还算顺利 — 他们不但通过众筹成功筹到了8.2万美元资金，还获得了美国科学基金（NSF）的资助。但现在，他们却依然失败了。南极熊认为，这恰好说明了创业之路并不好走，尤其是以技术为核心的创业。毕竟任何事情都是有风险的，更何况是如此具有创造性的尝试。

上图就是Electroloom已经取得的成果 — 服装3D打印机的工作流程示意图。这款机器采用的是一种独特的“电场引导制造”（FGF）技术，具体来说就是使用电场将喷出的原材料（一种特殊的液态纳米纤维溶液）引导到通过手工或CAD建模创建的模板上。待这个过程结束后，只需将模板移除，就能得到成型的织物了。据说，这台机器只需20分钟就能打印出一件完整的织物。

Electroloom公司创始人已经在几天前的博客上正式公布了这个令人遗憾的消息并表示，今天这种局面是许多错误积累的结果。事实上，有很多问题是他们无法解决的，比如技术进步缓慢、缺少客户，以及对市场定位不准确等。但他们仍非常高兴能获得这样的经历，因为尽管创业失败了，但他们却看到了3D打印能为服装和纺织品行业带去的全新可能性。

在3D打印第一媒体南极熊看来，虽然Electroloom倒闭了，但诸位熊友也不必太过伤心，因为正如前文所说，任何尝试都是有风险的，成功之路注定荆棘丛生。而且，目前在尝试服装3D打印的企业不止Electroloom一家，比如迪士尼最近就发明了一项新技术（准确来说应该是一套新型编译器），能实现精致的3D编织服装。另外，人们对3D打印服装等日用品仍然十分感兴趣，正如Electroloom公司所言，他们在运营过程中明显感觉到，人们实际上是很希望服装3D打印能够实现的，因为这可以让他们前所未有地更好展现自己的个性。所以，服装3D打印还是值得期待的。

延伸阅读：
《衣物衣服3D打印机Electroloom》
《迪士尼重新定义服装3D打印 — 衣服、帽子、围巾统统不在话下！》

编译自 3ders

An image of our earliest fabric prototype from 2013, when we first started the project
Hi everyone, we’re writing this post with heavy hearts to let you know that we are making the tough decision to shut down Electroloom.

The bottom line is that we simply do not have the financial ability to continue supporting the company. We were previously funded through a mixture of venture capital and government grants. Despite our best efforts (for over one year), we have been unable to raise a new round. We have made big changes throughout 2016 in hopes of reducing our burn rate, but without additional capital, we are unable to keep the company afloat. We suffered a lot of problems and mistakes that led us here, perhaps too many to outline in detail. The reality is that a lot of events factored into our inability to raise: slow technical progress, significant scientific risk, a lack of an MVP, and a poorly defined market opportunity.

Although it is difficult to say goodbye, we recognize that we have learned a great deal. One thing that stands out as obvious from our experience running Electroloom is that people are hungry for and believe in dramatic changes for the apparel industry. Whether it is to help people express themselves creatively through new and powerful design tools, or to help implement more sustainable manufacturing methods, we have seen the emergence of a new segment of people who care about the future of textiles and clothing. We feel quite fortunate to have played a role in this global conversation.

The vision we have does not end here. There are other incredible ventures in this space that are actively working on changing the landscape of apparel and manufacturing. We wanted to provide a brief list of some of the projects we find to be pretty stellar, in hopes that you continue to stay tuned-in to the industry.

Our favorites:

Kniterate: A 3D Knitwear Printer. This crew got their start around the same time that we did several years ago, and we’ve been keeping in touch. Their demos are super impressive and they are going to have exciting announcements in 2016 and beyond.
Disney: Check out their video regarding building a compiler for industrial knitting machines. Their software might power future on-demand apparel manufacturing tools by translating digital designs into physical goods.
Unmade: Their quote says it best. “We hold no stock — nothing exists until you place your order and the production process begins.” They use industrial knitting machines to produce unique, customizable clothes that are made-to-order.
Ambercycle: We had an awesome conversation with the founder regarding their polyester recycling process. This has the potential to recycle waste polyester so that it is virtually indistinguishable from virgin polyester.
Bolt Threads: Working on scaling up a new method for manufacturing silk thread. This opens up an exciting world of material properties for apparel.
JUST: Accumulating detailed environmental and manufacturing information of brands in hopes of making the apparel industry more transparent and accountable. They list the pros and cons of some of the world’s largest brands.
We would like to thank each and every one of you for supporting us on this journey. To our advisors, investors, mentors, and employees: thank you for your guidance and for believing in us. To our backers, customers, and supporters along the way: we can’t put into words how appreciative we are of you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at founders@electroloom.com if you have any lingering questions.

With gratitude,