24-Bit Friendship Loom

24-Bit Jacquard Loom
Initial Concept Sketch One of Melissa's early sketches
A browser-based interface allows the user to design patterns and interact with the loom. The loom's 24 electromagnets are energized by a Gestalt-based control board.
Inked Final Sketch Final Draft
The electromagnets are mounted on a slider that is retracted once the magnets are energized. Flexures become attached to and pulled back with the active electromagnets.
Initial Concept Sketch One of Melissa's early sketches
Screw-heads on the unattached flexures are in the path of a lift knife. The lift knife pulls up any flexures that were not selected and retracted by the electromagnets.
Inked Final Sketch Final Draft
Control cables are connected to the bottoms of the flexures. When a flexure is lifted, so is the cable. Each control cable ends in a loop through which one of the warp threads passes. The lifted threads create a shed for weaving.
Initial Concept Sketch One of Melissa's early sketches
A weight box maintains constant tension on the control cables so that they stay straight. The beginnings of a friendship bracelet!
Inked Final Sketch Final Draft
The pitch of the control threads is reduced significantly between the flexures and the shed. Each steel loop is biased against a brass baseplate by a second set of cables going into the weight box.
Initial Concept Sketch One of Melissa's early sketches
The flexures are constrained by a steel guide. Pins in each flexure keep it from falling thru the guide. A set of handles let's the user manually actuate the two sliding mechanisms of the loom: the electromagnet slider and the lift knife.
Inked Final Sketch Final Draft
Much of the loom was constructed at the Edgerton Student Shop. Many thanks to Mark Belanger, the Edgerton Student Shop's manager, for all of his help!
Initial Concept Sketch One of Melissa's early sketches
The features of the knife that engage with the flexure screw-heads were created by removing the top of a row of countersunk holes. All 24 electromagnetic coils needed to be very consistent to achieve maximum system efficiency.
Inked Final Sketch Final Draft
A coil-winder was built to precisely wind each of the electromagnets. Magnet wire passes through a moving aperture and is wound up on a spinning core.
Initial Concept Sketch
A close-up of the winding process.