3D Printing Smart Eyeglass Frames: A Review

Abstract

Eyeglasses are typical correctors for refractive error eye disorders. They are commonly placed on frames expected to be stylish and durable. Currently, the consumer demand for sustainable and eco-friendly frames is gaining interest, especially since conventional frame manufacturing methods follow a subtraction of large blocks of wasted scrap material. Additive manufacturing (AM) promises better economic feasibility due to reduced tooling, storage, and material costs, as well as enhanced mechanical properties, by inducing nanomaterials and composites. Moreover, synergism between AM and digital design has led to a rising interest in smart or electronic eyeglass frames. This systematic review assesses commercial eyeglass frames that use standard materials with long-lasting resistance, durability, comfort, and versatility with various materials such as metals and polymers. It also explores the design aspects of these eyeglasses and their correlation with the utilization of artificial intelligence trained computer-aided design software. Beyond the appealing eyeglass frame technology, a review of smart frame design, in which electronic sensors and chips are embedded, is also included. Furthermore, this review comprises various applications for 3D printing of frames including commercial and biomedical applications. Other reviewed topics include the side effects, health risks, shortcomings of AM techniques and materials, and void formation inside the matrix that propagates fatigue and shrinkage or density change during solidification.

The Design and Testing of an Additive Manufacturing-Obtained Compliant Mechanism for the Complex Personalisation of Lenses in Clinical Optometry

“…There have been recent evolutions in the optical and optometric fields, and the new applications of additive technologies have been felt [13,14]. For example, the appearance of personalized glasses frames obtained using additive technologies [15] can be considered a beginning for the further development and revolutionizing of the optometric field, respecting all the physiological and anatomical features of a person and taking into account the client's desires and his anthropometric data. Selective laser deposition technology [16,17] using metal/polymeric powders has proven to be the most suitable for the manufacturing of frames, and its advantage is the almost complete absence of scraps, unlike traditional production where considerable material losses are recorded.…”

Mechatronic Device Used to Evaluate the Performance of a Compliant Mechanism and Image Processing System in Determining Optometric Parameters

“…By capturing close-up and distant photos of the patient wearing the glasses and marker support setup, all necessary parameters can be accurately determined. Recent advancements in the optical and optometric fields, driven by additive technologies [4], have enabled the creation of personalized glass frames through additive manufacturing [5][6][7]. This development marks the beginning of a transformative era in optometry, allowing for highly customized frames.…”

“…Considering the lines discussed above, the present paper aims to continue the research topic by the authors, namely to conceive and develop a mechatronic rig device for the testing and measuring the specific optometric parameters with the help of the complete compliant mechanism in order to collect and to process the data obtained in the Recent advancements in the optical and optometric fields, driven by additive technologies [4], have enabled the creation of personalized glass frames through additive manufacturing [5][6][7]. This development marks the beginning of a transformative era in optometry, allowing for highly customized frames.…”

One‐Stop Hybrid Printing of Bulk Metal and Polymer for 3D Electronics

“…[ 4 ] Nevertheless, the wide application of AM is still limited to the single type of the materials such as polymer or metal etc., and most of these AM products serve as pure mechanical functionalities such as bike frame, [ 5 ] car jet engines and customized bodies for cars, [ 6 ] and personalized eyewear frames. [ 7 ] Although there are numerous efforts, particularly in the last 10 years on developing multimaterial 3D printing, a heavy bias was found toward studying new materials and the investigation of the pure mechanical properties while lacking focus on developing new technologies. [ 8 ] On the contrary, adding further functionalities will be essential to push the evolution of the AM technology to be more widely adopted in the mainstream manufacturing.…”