Hoya has teamed up with avant garde eyewear designer, Hoet, and 3D printing specialist, Materialise to create what it described a s new category of eyewear at last weekend Silmo exhibition in Paris.
Under the brand Yuniku the trio unveiled a collaboration which designs a completely personalised eyewear product built around maintaining the best possible vision correction determined by the lens. This visioncentric approach was unique, claimed Hoya’s CEO for the Europe Middle East and Africa region, Hans Werquin.’ Yuniku is not only about technology and perfection of vison or about 3D printing. Yuniku is a revolution, the world’s first visioncentric eyewear.’ We are creating a new category today, we are very excited and passionate about what this is going to do to our industry.’
Yuniku starts with the vision requirements of the patient and the frame is then personalised around that need. The starting point for the frame is a collection of 12 styles created by Hoet. Using scanning and computer technology these styles are adjusted and restyled using Hoya’s Eye Genius technology. The optical professional works with the customer to create perfectly fitting and styled eyewear. The customer has a choice of shapes, colours and materials to choose from while the computer technology ensures the optics of the lenses is not compromised by the frame’s shape. This design is then individually manufactured by Materialise using its 30 year’s of 3D printing knowledge.
The trio claimed that the process not only creates perfect, vision, fit and aesthetics but also puts the relationship between the optical professional and the customer on a new plane.
‘The greatest impact and reach comes from those few innovations that transform entire supply chains, introduce new business models, increase operational efficiency, and greatly improve customer experience. I am proud to say that Yuniku is a prime example of transformative innovation,’ added Alireza Parandian, Global Business Strategist – Wearables, Materialise.
Hoya’s chosen partner for the project Hoet, is well known for its innovation in eyewear manufacture. The family-run business has been in the optical business since 1884 and using 3D technology was natural progression said Bieke Hoet. ’Yuniku refers to the unique facial anatomy of each person, but also to the unique design of the frame. The frame design is a very important factor to consider.’
Hoya said the computer system which drives Yuniku is open and other designers are expected to include their designs in the coming months.
