# FilaLoom combines 3D printing and knitting with dual tool-head system

> **Key takeaway:** FilaLoom is an open hardware project that embeds yarn into 3D prints using an automated tool-changing head, enabling larger embedded structures than manual placement.

**Published:** 2026-10-21T18:30:39+00:00 
**Source:** Hackaday Hardware 
**Category:** open-hardware 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/filaloom-combines-3d-printing-and-knitting-with-dual-tool-he.html 

## Summary
Joram de Haas has developed FilaLoom, a machine that merges 3D printing and knitting by using two interchangeable tool heads. One head extrudes plastic filament while the other lays yarn, allowing thread to be embedded automatically rather than by hand. The system can create 2D and 3D structures with integrated mechanisms and webbing properties that neither craft achieves alone.

## How FilaLoom works
- Uses a tool-changer-style mechanism to swap between filament extrusion and yarn placement heads
- Embeds thread automatically rather than requiring manual insertion during printing
- Enables larger embedded structures than previous hand-placed methods
- Can produce 2D, 3D, and mechanisms with combined material properties
- Demonstrates webbing effects and structural possibilities unique to hybrid fabrication

## Why it matters
The project expands the design space for open hardware fabrication by demonstrating that automated multi-material systems need not be limited to plastics. Makers could adapt similar tool-changing approaches for textiles, conductive thread, or other flexible materials.