Five years ago, 3D printing in eyewear could almost be dismissed as a fad. Expensive, unnecessary and mediocre, take up was initially very slow. Undeterred, the experts in the sector kept developing the technology until products were suitable for end user patients.
The sector, although relatively small, is a burgeoning one and there are now a plethora of options for high quality eyewear made using additive manufacturing.
Many companies are now using new facial scanning technology to harness what was has always been 3D printing’s biggest trump card, customisation. Although there are slight differences in the method each company uses, the main benefits for opticians remain the same: being at the forefront of technology; precision dispensing and less stock to carry – just a selection of sample silhouettes.
No matter what brand you choose, each brings its own approach and innovation – there are no boring 3D printed eyewear collections.
Monoqool
Danish design is at the heart of Monoqool’s 3D printed frames (1). Simplicity and innovation is what drives the company’s aesthetic and the expanding lines of eyewear. The 3D printed collection, produced in Denmark at one of the finest additive manufacturing facilities in Europe, comprises four product families: Slider sun, Slider ophthalmic, IQ Mini and IQ Slider ranges are defined by a bladed titanium temple that snaps into the lug of the 3D printed front, while the IQ series sees two different gauges of vertically-mounted metal temple.
Mykita
The German company was the first to bring eyewear made using additive manufacturing to market in late 2010, with a full release at Silmo in 2011.
The new Mylon collection assumed a completely different aesthetic from the sheet metal stainless steel and thin acetate it was known for. Gradually, the collection expanded from experimental sunglass styles to ophthalmic frames, all with an increasing amount of complexity.
Youmawo
Youmawo stands for Your Magic World and was established six years ago, on a backpacking trip around the world. The company says it was the individuality of the world that inspired the creation of its fully customisable eyewear collection, because despite the wide variety of frames and sizes, none were truly individual.
The process begins with an optician taking a scan of the patient’s face using an infrared scanner attachment for an iPad. When complete, the scan can be adjusted by the optician using 11 different parameters before production in Germany.
Götti
Differing from most 3D printed eyewear brands is Götti’s Dimension collection. The Swiss manufacturer produces its Dimension collection internally at its own factory, allowing greater control over the production process.
While the company may have arrived late the 3D printing party, it is clear now that it was taking a more considered approach. Design across the sunglass and ophthalmic frame collection is clean and minimalistic, with neat touches such as svelte paddle temples – a modern take on a retro look.
Hoya
Hoya describes its tailored eyewear system, Yuniku, as the world’s first vision-centric 3D eyewear. Unlike other tailored 3D printed solutions, Yuniku, a collaboration with Materialise, adjusts the parameter of the frame around the perfect lens placement. Yuniku begins by assessing visual needs and facial features, before software calculates the ideal position of the lenses in relation to the eyes. A 3D print of the frame is then created based on those unique parameters. The first collection has been designed by Bieke Hoet from avant-garde Belgian brand Hoet Eyewear, and it is anticipated that further brands will be added to the customisable portfolio.
Hoet
Studio Hoet has been designing eyewear for itself and third-party brands for 25 years. In 2011, an encounter with the high precision of 3D printed dental prosthesis inspired the company to begin working on its own range. While others worked on developing polyamide frames, Hoet went one step further and began working with 3D printable titanium.
The result was the Couture collection, a stunning mix of solid and honeycomb structures with an angular, futuristic design. It was later joined by the Cabrio collection that, despite being made from regular polyamide, were conceptual in design and leveraged the construction potential 3D printing offered.
Safilo
The Oxydo collection by Safilo in collaboration with Materialise is an experiment to fuse avant-garde design and manufacturing with classical eyewear silhouettes. Timeless aviator, cat’s eye and round shapes are reinterpreted with structure that can only be produced using 3D printing.
New York-based artist Francis Bitonti, who collaborated with Oxydo on the design, says: ‘We focused on leveraging the capabilities of 3D Printing to produce very fine ornamentation while keeping a very minimal silhouette. We were interested in how the next generation of ornamentation might look.’
Morgenrot
The developments in additive manufacturing have allowed Joachim Bischoff, an independent eyewear designer for over 30 years, to finally realise his eyewear dreams.
Having created 3D CAD eyewear renders and videos in Rhino software for many years, Bischoff says he was always limited by conventional production methods. Now, the only limit is his imagination. As you might imagine, Morgenrot’s eyewear is adventurous, with construction and structure only possible using 3D printing – like the lattice-like rim structure seen on model 570.
IC! Berlin
Another latecomer to the 3D printing fray has been ic! berlin. Like most eyewear brands, the company has used 3D printing for rapid prototyping for many years, but thought long and hard on how it could integrate the technology with stainless steel frames for end users.
Plotic models feature 3D printed parts and embellishments in tandem with sheet metal and the company’s screw-less hinge. Some models feature polyamide accents, such as the brow section of the Clubmaster-inspired Downtown, while others like the Glacier sunglass, use a complete 3D printed front shape mated to stainless steel temples.
Roger Bacon
Named after English scholar and optics pioneer Roger Bacon, the Dutch firm was established in 2014 after its founders, Pieter Jonckheer and Jan-Berend Zweerts, realised the significant impact additive manufacturing could have on the eyewear industry. Inspired by the poor-fitting glasses their children had to wear, the company developed facial scanning technology that allowed the creation of frames tailored to the patient’s face shape. The frame shape portfolio is classic and easy to wear. While some brands opt for complex designs, Roger Bacon has selected a range of silhouettes that will suit a wide range of patients, more so once tailored for their face.
PQ Eyewear by Ron Arad
Ron Arad, the driving force behind PQ Eyewear, is widely recognised as one of the most influential industrial designers of our time and is considered an early innovator in selective laser sintering.
His vision was to transform the production of eyewear from a multi-component process to a single material method with no screws or hinges.
To achieve this, a 3D printed hinge was created, with a skeletal-like temple closing motion. Recently, the company has developed its own bespoke service, where a patient’s face can be scanned and tailored frame produced – an impressive feat given the complexity of the frames and hinges.