3D printing of rolled materials

1. A method of 3D printing a shape, comprising:

advancing a continuous length of material past a cutting head;

cutting the material along one or more paths; and

spirally winding the material onto a spool in successive layers such that the cut paths on each layer of the spiral are in alignment according to the 3D printed shape, wherein the 3D printed shape comprises a plurality of layers of the material.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

advancing a continuous length of a second material past a second cutting head;

cutting the second material along one or more paths;

providing adhesive on a surface of the second material; and

spirally winding the material onto the spool such that the first and second materials are concentrically wound with alternating layers.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing adhesive on a surface of the material.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the adhesive is applied on the material after the step of cutting the material.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the adhesive is applied in a pre-defined pattern on a surface of the material.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the adhesive is applied only to the portions of material which make up the final 3D printed shape.

7. The method of claim 3 , further comprising removing the excess material before the adhesive sets.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating UV maps to create the cut pattern.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material cut comprises segmented pieces to form the final 3D printed shape.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining a digital model defining the 3D printed shape.

11. A system for 3D printing a shape comprising:

a material infeed configured to provide a supply of sheet material;

a cutting head for cutting the material, wherein the cutting head is configured to move along at least one axis;

a gathering spindle configured to rotate such that the material is spirally wound onto the spindle; and

a controller configured to perform the method of claim 1 .

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the excess material along the cut lines to reveal the 3D printed shape.

13. A system for 3D printing a shape comprising:

a material infeed configured to provide a supply of sheet material;

a cutting head for cutting the material, wherein the cutting head is configured to move along at least one axis;

a glue applicator;

a gathering spindle configured to rotate such that the material is spirally wound onto the spindle in successive layers;

and a controller that electronically communicates with the cutting head and the glue applicator, wherein the controller is configured to send instructions to the cutting head and the glue applicator whereby a desired pattern is cut into the material such that the cut paths on each layer of the material are in alignment to form a 3D article when spirally wound on the spindle, wherein the 3D article comprises a plurality of layers of the material.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the cutting head includes a laser for cutting the material.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the cutting head includes a blade for cutting the material.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the cutting head is configured to move in a plane which is substantially parallel to the material when the material is in a print area.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the cutting head is configured to move in a direction transverse to a direction of material travel.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the cutting head is configured to move along two axes.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the material is moved through the system by rotating the gathering spindle.

20. The system of claim 13 , further comprising a feeder, and wherein the material is moved through the system by the feeder.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the feeder is a feed roller.

22. The system of claim 13 , the spindle is configured to rotate about an axis of the spindle.