The Revolution of 3D Printed Lenses

There is a high chance that you already heard about the amazing applications of Additive Manufacturing in the medical industry. From 3D printed prosthetics, skin to hearts, 3D technologies bring a new revolution to medical treatments. These innovative production methods are not stopping, instead, they are sprinting into another medical sector: optics. We already talked about 3D printed eyes, what’s new then?

Reaching beyond horizons

Luxexcel is a Netherlands based company that 3D prints lenses. This might not sound like the most interesting topic, but Luxexcel aims higher than other optic companies. According to the company, they mastered the art of producing strong and durable lenses to the point that their lenses are a final product straight out of the 3D printer, no post-processing is required.

The 3D printed lenses are made with acrylate monomer resin. The process involves ink jetting and applications of the UV systems. Thanks to Additive Manufacturing they are able to produce highly accurate lenses that can be used right after printing. Only 3D printing enables such a high level of detail and precision.

On top of all of that, traditional lense making wastes a lot of material. This aspect is eliminated thanks to Additive Manufacturing. The 3D printed solidifies only the amount of resin that is needed to produce the model. As there is no need for post-processing, no additional material is wasted.

Another benefit, the most important one, is high customization. Many of you probably heard about glasses that can be used for both reading and seeing far. They have different zones within the lenses allowing that. But there are people with needs greater than just two zones.

The 3D printed lenses can have multiple zones with different optical properties! As a result of using Additive Manufacturing, all that has to be done is to design a 3D model, which is much faster than traditional lens making techniques. Then the lenses are 3D printed, which produces them exactly as they were designed in virtual reality. This process is quick and limits human error.

What future is waiting for 3D printed lenses?

Luxexcel has its own hardware and software which allows to design and produce the lenses. The software gives all the necessary tools to make a 3D model of complex lenses. Their clients can purchase the software and can design their own, personalized production. None of those life-changing developments of Luxexcel would be possible without 3D technologies.

And that’s not all, the Dutch company partnered with an Americal organization IFB Solutions, which works with visually impaired people to find the best solutions to improve their lives. Luxexcel donated 17 glasses to children, many of which will see so well for the first time ever.

While we don’t print lenses, we do produce 3D printed glasses frames. As you can see, 3D printing enables totally new possibilities. Don’t wait any longer to start benefiting from Additive Manufacturing technologies, with online 3D printing service such as Sculpteo all you need to do is just upload your file. Our website will provide you with instant pricing and shipping options, and in case of any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@facfox.com.