2026-09-19T13:15:34Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1449422022-08-30T03:04:16Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131024
Fang, Nicholas Xuanlai
Pettit, Leah
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
2022-08-29T16:22:32Z
2022-08-29T16:22:32Z
2022-05
2022-06-14T19:35:30.876Z
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144942
3D printers are becoming increasingly common in homes and libraries across the country. With it comes a desire to make something, but little direction about what to make. A large percentage of the US population wears glasses, so a project which allows people to 3D print their own glasses would be both meaningful and practical if it can be done using easy-to-learn skills. While there is a single documented example of producing a 3D printed lens with some post-processing, that used SLA printer, which is currently less common, especially amongst individuals. I set out to determine whether this process could be amended for FDM 3D printing or if there is another way to make optically clear lenses with an FDM printer. I discovered that the other traditional smoothing techniques were not sufficient to create a clear surface, but resin coating could result in a fully transparent object. However, further research is needed to determine whether a specific focus can be repeatably created using this method, and it would still require a substantial time investment on the part of the potential user. This makes it a poor early-learning project, but leaves open the potential value to more advanced makers.
S.B.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CC0 - Public Domain
Copyright Public Domain
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
Optically Clear FDM Printing
Thesis
application/pdf
Bachelor
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Publication
unknown
unknown
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<Abstract>3D printers are becoming increasingly common in homes and libraries across the country. With it comes a desire to make something, but little direction about what to make. A large percentage of the US population wears glasses, so a project which allows people to 3D print their own glasses would be both meaningful and practical if it can be done using easy-to-learn skills. While there is a single documented example of producing a 3D printed lens with some post-processing, that used SLA printer, which is currently less common, especially amongst individuals. I set out to determine whether this process could be amended for FDM 3D printing or if there is another way to make optically clear lenses with an FDM printer. I discovered that the other traditional smoothing techniques were not sufficient to create a clear surface, but resin coating could result in a fully transparent object. However, further research is needed to determine whether a specific focus can be repeatably created using this method, and it would still require a substantial time investment on the part of the potential user. This makes it a poor early-learning project, but leaves open the potential value to more advanced makers.</Abstract>
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