16. Applications and Implications
What does it do?
The electromechanical loom is inspired by the Jacquard loom, what we want to achieve with this project is to create a loom that can individually select the heddles of the loom, this way the loom could creat any pattern without any restriction.
Who has done what beforehand?
Here in Ibero Puebla, the electromechanical loom is a project that has been in development, there are two versions of the loom. The first one was done by Franco Robredo Breton, here's the link to his page. Franco's web page
What did you design?
For this version of the loom we did various designs, first the design for the frame of the loom, the heddles, the PCB as well as 3D printed parts for the mechanism. The frame of the loom is formed by three different parts, the external frame, a box that traps the heddles, and a support guide that traces the paths of the heddles.
What Material and components were used?
- XIAO-ESP32
- Raspberry Pi Pico
- Screws
- Copper Wire
- MDF
- PLA for 3D printing
- Wool
- Thermofit
- Heddles
Most of these materials were provided by the university, but some of the materials were obtained via external sellers.
Bill of materials
| Components | Numbers | Price |
| XIAO-ESP32 | 1 | 20 dls |
| Raspberry Pi pico | 2 | 19.60 dls |
| MDF | About 80cm | 16.56 dls | Copper Wire | 2 rolls | 38 dls |
| Wool | 1 | 8 dls |
| PLA | - | 23 dls per kg |
| Thermofit | 1 meter | 2 dls |
| Heddles | 16 | 20 dls |
What parts and system were made?
For the loom, we made the frame of the loom out of MDF, the frame consisted of 3 different components. The mechanism that controls each heddle is composed of 3D printing, coils made out of screws, and copper wire. Finally, a design was made to make a special type of heddles for the mechanism
What processes were used?
I applied various weeks of the Fab Academy to the final project, I used computer-controlled machining, 3D printing, PCB production, programming, networking and communication.
What questions were answered?
How can the heddles be controled individually?
How to make the system design?
How to integrate the electronics into the loom?
What worked and what didn't?
The design for the loom's frame and mechanism was easily done and there weren't many complications there. The problem's were in the coils and the energy distribution, some times the signal didn't worked and the coils wouldn't respond. At the same time the coils resulted to be fragile which resulted in having to change them constantly.
How was it evaluated?
I tested the project in different parts of the project. The mechanical system was tested with an AC motor that simulated the signal that was dedicated for the coils. After that the coils were tested individually and then all together into the system, integration.
What are the implications?
This project demonstrate that the individual control of the heedles in an electromechanical loom is not only posible but it can also be affordable. This project is designed to be accessible and affordable for Mexican artist. The system can still be improved but were in the right path to have a finish product.