Jan 5, 2018 | By Tess
Luxexcel, a Dutch company that specializes in the production of 3D printed lenses, has announced a new partnership with augmented reality company Vuzix through which it will manufacture and supply 3D printed prescription lenses for the new Vuzix Blade AR headset.
The announcement will undoubtedly come as good news to AR/VR enthusiasts who have been hindered by their less than 20/20 eyesight while using virtual reality headsets or goggles.
“60% of the US population needs eye correction. Without custom prescription inserts, those people will not be able to fully enjoy the most advanced new augmented reality products,” commented Luxexcel CEO Hans Streng.
“Luxexcel is thrilled to partner with Vuzix as the early adopter of 3D printed ophthalmic lens inserts. We see great synergy between the amazing innovations of Vuzix and the technology of Luxexcel,” Streng added.
According to the company, Vuzix’s first prescription lens AR headset, which will be part of its new Blade model, will be presented at CES 2018 next week in Las Vegas.
In manufacturing the prescription lenses for Vuzix’s AR headsets, Luxexcel will use its innovative VisionPlatform process, which consists of industrial optical 3D printers, resin materials, specialized lens-design software, and workflow integration tools.
Vuzix Blade AR headset
Of course, the 3D printing technology used for the lenses is not your run-of-the-mill additive manufacturing which builds objects up layer-by-layer. Rather, Luxexcel’s patented process deposits tiny droplets of a transparent resin onto a build platform and cures them with UV light.
The company says that the droplets are key to producing clear, high quality lenses. Impressively, the 3D printed lenses do not even require post processing treatments.
The technology, which is capable of producing customized and high grade ophthalmic lenses that conform to ISO and industry standards, will now be used for augmented reality applications.
Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix, said of the partnership: “We are delighted that with the 3D printed prescription lenses provided by Luxexcel, a much broader audience can enjoy our unique new product, the Vuzix Blade.”
This past October, Luxexcel hinted that it was exploring AR/VR applications for its 3D printed optical lenses—an effort which was undoubtedly helped along by a four million euro investment from Dutch equity fund Innovation Industries.
Now, as the company prepares to unveil Vuzix’s prescription lens Blade AR headset at CES 2018, Luxexcel is proving that 3D printed optical lenses could very well be the future of prescription eyewear.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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