LUXeXceL Lights up 3D Printed Optics

When I first began to investigate additive manufacturing (AM), I was surprised to discover that one of the most common uses for the technology (other than rapid prototyping) was manufacturing custom lampshades. It does make sense, but it wasn’t exactly the groundbreaking subject matter I’d been hoping to find.

3D printing no longer stops at the shade. LUXeXceL wants to print you an LED light using its “Printoptical Technology.” The company uses its own version of inkjet manufacturing to build optics, including Fresnel lenses, stained glass replicas and even eyeglasses. If optometrists take to AM in the same way as the dental industry has, LUXeXcel’s process could represent a major shift in glasses manufacturing.

Printoptical Technology builds objects using a transparent polymer material. The AM system jets droplets of UV-curable polymer, which are then cured by UV lamps integrated in the print head. The print head itself is controlled by piezoelectric means, and has a resolution of 1440 dpi. The smooth shape of an optic is achieved by allowing the polymer just enough time to flow and lose its spherical, droplet shape, before being cured by the UV lamp.

According to the company, optics created using the process don’t require post-processing. The potential for optics to be built in two steps, CAD design followed by printing, would save time and money over more traditional practices, which generally require polishing and grinding. An AM solution would also allow for a greater variety in optic shapes and styles on-demand.

“…the lighting industry gains flexibility and now can offer customers optical solutions for every project by printing on-demand lenses, diffusers, colored optics, micro optics, free forms, optographic surfaces, and 3D textures,” said Richard van de Vrie, CEO of the LUXeXceL. “We are convinced this digitization of optics means a new future for optical design and manufacturing.”

Below you’ll find a video about LUXeXcel.

Source: LUXeXceL