FEATURE 3D-PRINTED OPTICS
Regular arrangement of doublet lenses directly fabricated on a CMOS image sensor
➤ Prototyping is one of the main benefits of 3D printing. The technology enables quick turnaround times and, in terms of optics, eliminates the need to cast multiple lenses months before a prototype product – an endoscope, for example – is due to be made. According to Groet, 3D printing can be used to produce multiple prototypes in a number of days. ‘Some 3D printers take three days to make a chair; we can print 200 lenses an hour,’ he said. In recent years, 3D printing has matured to a point where it is used for manufacturing. According to Groet, however, it isn’t a direct threat to companies that operate using large-
scale production lines. ‘3D printing is not trying to replace general manufacturing,’ he stated. It’s so much cheaper to have a plant in China that makes you a million lenses, and if you want a million lenses you go to this plant in China.’ Instead, 3D printing is useful in applications where the ability to customise, adjust and experiment is needed. If a manufacturer is unsure of the design of a product, or how many parts they are going to need, then they should use 3D printing, Groet continued.
The goal here
Array of semisphere micro-optics directly fabricated with a Photonic Professional GT
28 ELECTRO OPTICS l OCTOBER 2016
The other advantage of additive manufacturing is that it enables different materials to be integrated into a lens during production. This means products such as gradient refractive index change (GRIN) lenses can be produced. ‘These look like a flat block but they have the function of a curved lens, which you can do by using different materials at the same time,’ explained Groet. ‘You can also integrate certain functionality within a lens; for example, you can include a sensor in the lens itself to verify the light that goes through.’ This is not something that can be done with traditional manufacturing technology, because it isn’t possible to put something
is to see how far 3D printed micro-optics can be driven for an industrial application
inside the cast when a lens is made. ‘Whereas, we can print something with a sensor in, or a filter, and then keep printing,’ he said. According to Groet, this aspect of 3D printing will certainly be developed over the coming years. Approximately 70 per cent of the lenses in the world are plastic lenses, according to Groet. To be able to gain further traction in this market, Luxexcel is looking to increase the range of products it is able to offer by expanding the varieties of polymer it uses for its optics. ‘We use an acrylic material that we currently have one refractive
index for today; however, we are developing and will introduce other refractive indexes to the market,’ he said. ‘Materials are in constant development to provide better heat, light and UV resistance, along with better compatibility with [optical] coatings.’ Groet explained that improvements in the material are constantly being made, working towards perfect accuracy and transparency. ‘These [properties] are still being tuned and matured every day. We [Luxexcel] print some test lenses every month, and every month I see them improving,’ he said. l
@electrooptics |
www.electrooptics.com
Nanoscribe
University of Stuttgart
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