FEATURE 3D-PRINTED OPTICS
➤ photon polymerisation process further to produce micro-optics for equipment such as endoscopes. ‘This is really exciting because essentially this focuses on bringing results from academia to industry,’ Niesler said. Despite 3D printing being around for
more than 30 years, the technology is still improving, with greater complexity in the structures and higher printing efficiencies. ‘In recent years, we [Nanoscribe] have improved our product with respect to printing speed and the size of pieces that can be printed – towards larger pieces,’ explained Niesler. ‘At the beginning it was really small pieces, tiny photonic crystals, that demonstrated the superior resolution of the print process. But only this resolution, combined with larger volumes, triggered the industry to see the possibilities of high resolution 3D printing.’ High resolutions are required for producing micro-optics, with precise, smooth surfaces. ‘I think we are on the right track because of the resonance we get from industry,’ Niesler said. According to Niesler, the optics industry is yet to tap into the full potential of 3D printing. ‘I would say that first of all we are only at the beginning,’ he explained. ‘The challenge for people is to completely understand the possibilities that you have with access to a tool such as 3D printing; you have to re-think your design ideas, how you fabricate these ideas.’ In the short term, the materials, in particular the photopolymers, have to improve. ‘Not only do there need to be more materials compatible with 3D printing, but also materials that
Luxexcel’s transparent 3D printer
provide the optical properties necessary for optical applications,’ he continued. Giessen from the Stuttgart institute agrees with this, stating that, currently, there is potential for improving the surface roughness, as well as the refractive index homogeneity and losses of the materials. ‘Also, we have not yet produced an achromatic system, as this requires a combination of two or more materials with different dispersion,’ he added. These particular lenses are designed to reduce the effects of chromatic and spherical aberration.
Nanoscribe’s 3D printer Photonic Professional GT for microfabrication 26 ELECTRO OPTICS l OCTOBER 2016
Straight out of the box 3D printing is now at a stage where it can produce ready-to-use lenses that don’t need any further processing. Luxexcel, a 3D printing service provider, specialises in this particular area through manufacturing products that demand a high level of transparency without the need for further modification after production. ‘Other people have solutions where they need post-processing, so they make a lens and still need to polish it, which kind of defeats the purpose,’ claimed Guido Groet, chief commercial officer at Luxexcel. ‘We think that we’re the only [company] able to print a lens that is ready to be used straight out of the printer; it might need some coatings, but it doesn’t need any polishing or any grinding.’ The technology used by Luxexcel in particular has seen advances in recent years. ‘We have been developing the technology for six years,’ said Groet. ‘Initially it was not useable, and today we make products that people actually use in consumer applications in small volumes.’ Back in July 2014, when Electro Optics interviewed one of the company’s founders, Richard van de Vrie, Luxexcel’s 3D printed lenses were not of imaging quality, but were suitable for illumination applications. Since then, with advances in additive manufacturing, the company has developed a full line of prototypes, manufacturing optics for LED lighting, photonics, medical, aerospace, and automotive applications, all usable from the printer.
@electrooptics |
www.electrooptics.com
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Nanoscribe
Luxexcel
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