Evaluating the Validity of Manufacturing 3D Printed Lenses; Using Commercial SLA Materials and Diamond Turning Processes

Abstract

Optics are traditionally made from subtractive machined substrates that are then ground, polished, and/or diamond turned for an optical surface. This study probes the validity of producing lens substrates by leveraging additive manufacturing. Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing was used to produce optical substrates which were then diamond turned into a final lens. Four commercial grade materials were investigated to determine what, if any, material could produce a viable precision lens. The materials used in this study include; Somos WaterClear Ultra, Accura ClearVue, FormLabs Clear, and VeroClear. The Somos WaterClear Ultra and 3D systems Accura ClearVue even list optical properties including Index of Refraction. Whereas, Stratasys material VeroClear and FormLabs Clear do not list such data but advertise that the material is “optically clear”. Material properties were recorded for all four materials in the form of transmission responses, Abbe Number, and Index of Refraction. Lens quality evaluating tests were also performed for all four material lenses. These include surface wavefront error, surface roughness, and image quality testing. An Acrylic control lens was produced using CNC machining and tested alongside the four 3D printed lenses. On average the 3D printed lenses performed in family with the Acrylic control. Overall, this study shows a promising future for further development into producing 3D printed lenses.