遺憾！服裝3D打印公司Electroloom宣布倒閉

為推動(dòng)3D打印產(chǎn)業(yè)的發(fā)展，全球許多公司都在嘗試將這種技術(shù)與人們的日常生活相結(jié)合，比如用它來(lái)制造衣服。Electroloom就是這樣一家初創(chuàng)企業(yè) — 事實(shí)上，他們已經(jīng)取得了初步的成功，研制出了能打印出小尺寸織物的服裝3D打印機(jī)。但現(xiàn)在，南極熊卻得到了一個(gè)令人遺憾的消息：由于無(wú)法解決資金短缺的問題，這家公司在2016年8月前宣布倒閉。

事實(shí)上據(jù)南極熊了解，在這之前，Electroloom公司的發(fā)展其實(shí)可以說還算順利 — 他們不但通過眾籌成功籌到了8.2萬(wàn)美元資金，還獲得了美國(guó)科學(xué)基金（NSF）的資助。但現(xiàn)在，他們卻依然失敗了。南極熊認(rèn)為，這恰好說明了創(chuàng)業(yè)之路并不好走，尤其是以技術(shù)為核心的創(chuàng)業(yè)。畢竟任何事情都是有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的，更何況是如此具有創(chuàng)造性的嘗試。

上圖就是Electroloom已經(jīng)取得的成果 — 服裝3D打印機(jī)的工作流程示意圖。這款機(jī)器采用的是一種獨(dú)特的“電場(chǎng)引導(dǎo)制造”（FGF）技術(shù)，具體來(lái)說就是使用電場(chǎng)將噴出的原材料（一種特殊的液態(tài)納米纖維溶液）引導(dǎo)到通過手工或CAD建模創(chuàng)建的模板上。待這個(gè)過程結(jié)束后，只需將模板移除，就能得到成型的織物了。據(jù)說，這臺(tái)機(jī)器只需20分鐘就能打印出一件完整的織物。

Electroloom公司創(chuàng)始人已經(jīng)在幾天前的博客上正式公布了這個(gè)令人遺憾的消息并表示，今天這種局面是許多錯(cuò)誤積累的結(jié)果。事實(shí)上，有很多問題是他們無(wú)法解決的，比如技術(shù)進(jìn)步緩慢、缺少客戶，以及對(duì)市場(chǎng)定位不準(zhǔn)確等。但他們?nèi)苑浅８吲d能獲得這樣的經(jīng)歷，因?yàn)楸M管創(chuàng)業(yè)失敗了，但他們卻看到了3D打印能為服裝和紡織品行業(yè)帶去的全新可能性。

在3D打印第一媒體南極熊看來(lái)，雖然Electroloom倒閉了，但諸位熊友也不必太過傷心，因?yàn)檎�如前文所說，任何嘗試都是有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的，成功之路注定荊棘叢生。而且，目前在嘗試服裝3D打印的企業(yè)不止Electroloom一家，比如迪士尼最近就發(fā)明了一項(xiàng)新技術(shù)（準(zhǔn)確來(lái)說應(yīng)該是一套新型編譯器），能實(shí)現(xiàn)精致的3D編織服裝。另外，人們對(duì)3D打印服裝等日用品仍然十分感興趣，正如Electroloom公司所言，他們?cè)谶\(yùn)營(yíng)過程中明顯感覺到，人們實(shí)際上是很希望服裝3D打印能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)的，因?yàn)檫@可以讓他們前所未有地更好展現(xiàn)自己的個(gè)性。所以，服裝3D打印還是值得期待的。

延伸閱讀：
《衣物衣服3D打印機(jī)Electroloom》
《迪士尼重新定義服裝3D打印 — 衣服、帽子、圍巾統(tǒng)統(tǒng)不在話下！》

編譯自 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,