If you remember, Google came up with a Glass, a nose-mounted smart product, presented with high features, but the result was below average. There were many such products introduced in the market but were much accepted. If you think that wearable face-tech disappeared, then you are wrong. Luxexcel, the 3D lens manufacturing company has introduced 3D printed lenses for smart glasses.
Headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Luxexcel has been printing 3D lenses since 2009 are hold patents for 3D printing lenses. The patent line-up includes their line of products including 3D printers and others under their project VisionPlatform.
How does the lens work?
All the lenses are printed in normal manner. During the printing, the process is put on hold and the electronic hardware is placed on the lens surface. Printer then starts working and the electronic are seamlessly encased within the lens body.
Why us of 3D Print Lenses?
3D print lenses are sharp in nature. Lens manufacturers take a plastic lens blank from the variety of optical options based on the customer requirements. The blank is then loaded into a grinding machine, shaped to provide the correct curvature both, in the front and back of the lens. Then the grinding machine is pumped full of milky abrasive fluid. The manufacturer cannot relax until the abrasive covered tool done its job.
The polished lens is removed and cut into different shape for making it fit with the spectacle frame before it goes through QC process. Under this process, the refractive index of the lens is measured before fitting it into the spectacle frames.
Under the 3D printing the lenses, the manufacturer can cut out all that black selection process, also including the grinding and polishing to prepare it for the final form.
There is no need for polishing and grinding machines. Moreover, you do not to have storeroom full of blanks. The 3D printing has reduced processing steps, and reduced machine costs. The traditional lens grinding is quite subtractive and waste up 80% of the materials during the manufacturing process.
Different from Google Glass
Google Glass carried a single little screen position just above the eye. The 3D printed lend from Luxexcel carries screen inside the lens. Moreover, there are two lenses just like the real glasses. One thing that makes these 3D printed lenses different from Google glass is the Luxexcel is a dedicated optical lens company. The company mainly works on manufacturing lenses, than smart-glasses product maker.
