Eyewear 3D printing at MIDO 2026, between consolidation and sustainability

As we anticipated in our LinkedIn preview of MIDO 2026, eyewear 3D printing is no longer just a technology for startups or for prototyping; it has become a viable manufacturing solution for established boutique eyewear design studios. Today, 3D printed frames make up a non-negligible percentage of all frames produced. In addition to VoxelMatters’ analysis of this sector, this is confirmed by eyewear component companies, such as OBE Prezision (a specialist hinge company) and Frey & Winkler (a silicon eyewear pad manufacturer), offering products specifically tailored for 3D printed frames. AM is now a viable solution for eyewear designers, manufacturers, and resellers.

On the other hand, one of AM’s biggest selling points was its suitability for sustainable manufacturing via on-demand production. This year multiple large companies presented products made from recycled eyewear materials, including both lenses and acetate frames. Recycling—especially post-consumer—is always a lot easier to claim than to actually implement, but eyewear companies are now investing in developing systems to reuse these materials, and AM is no longer the only way to make eyewear more environmentally friendly. This is both good and bad news.

These are two of the most significant trends we identified, but there are others. Let’s take a look.

Mass eyewear customization in sight

The eyewear mass market is almost within AM’s reach. Some of the most popular brands offer products made using high-end materials that are difficult to replicate in 3D printing. This is not where AM can excel today, especially when more materials are combined in a single product. But this approach only works for Oakley and Ray Ban, Nike, Carrera, Victoria, and David or Victoria Beckham: brand-driven mass products where personalization is an afterthought, if that.

However, users who demand more customized and unique products must turn to companies that integrate 3D printing into their offerings. Among these, Materialise is the most ready company to address the demand for both serial additive manufacturing and mass customization through its new Kumo (Cloud) solution for retailers.

We had the opportunity to test the system in person thanks to Alireza Parandian, Founder & Commercial Leader of Materialise’s Business Line Eyewear. What Kumo does right is enable adjustment of a few basic measurements so the frames fit just right, without making the process too complex for the end user or the retailer offering the service. The software can rapidly create a mesh of the person’s head, let them try on virtually all shapes and sizes (14 designs available), and then place the order directly.

Out of all the eyewear design apps we saw, this is the most market-ready. This should not come as a surprise since Materialise has spent the past few years building a dedicated additive line for its eyewear business. And with several hundred thousand frames printed to date, its expertise is superior to that of any other supplier.

I have been wearing the custom frames Materialise customized and produced for me two years ago, without interruption. I almost always use them, even when I put them away, and I have put them through incredible stress and wear. They still feel like new, and I have not yet found a more comfortable frame anywhere.

Looking at eyewear AM hardware

Materialise operates as a service provider, primarily using EOS systems in its production lines. But other hardware companies are targeting this sector, and their businesses are growing and evolving as well. Genera Printer, founded by Klaus Stadlmann, with Stratasys among its stakeholders, has been taking giant steps. The company already offered a fully integrated end-to-end stereolithographic hardware and materials solution (with rapid resin coloring and internal part washing capabilities), and it’s now adding the FrameForge design software created by Stefan Bassing to enable designers to create 3D printed frames faster and more efficiently.

“We initially moved away from 3D printing when creating FrameForge,” Bassing told VoxelMatters, “but we realized it is the most efficient way to produce the frames that designers create, and we refocused on it. Compared to a few years ago, the technology is now ready for eyewear production, and no other technology can offer the same versatility.”

At the same time, DWS, an Italian specialist in 3D stereolithography printers and materials, continues to expand its offering of eyewear-specific materials, including acetate-like digital materials that can rival traditional manufacturing costs for limited production runs. Used with the production-ready XCELL 300Q and especially the larger XCELL 900Q systems, materials like IRIX Digital CA, Invicta DIGITAL PA55 e IRIX Tungsten can deliver high-resolution, ultra-smooth frames in various colors. The FLex Digital TPU 75 can even be used for silicone nose pads and other flexible accessories.

Sisma, an Italian hardware company targeting the jewelry and dental segments, also continues to push the MySint line of jewelry 3D printers for eyewear frame and accessory manufacturing. Among the new products this year, the company presented the Performance 40: stunning €950 limited-edition (100-pieces) titanium 3D printed sunglasses marking Rudy Project’s 40th anniversary.

Among other eyewear-specific service providers, TechPrint Industries continues to evolve its unique multicolor and texturing offering, using HP Additive Manufacturing solutions and now integrating EOS solutions for SLS. The company’s exhibit this year centers on a “design-to-production” workflow that integrates virtual design tools, modular smart eyewear components, and zero-inventory manufacturing, targeting optical retailers and private label partners.

An integral part of this presentation is the TPI Design Gallery, a web-based software platform that enables users to design, customize, and launch eyewear collections entirely online. The platform – which is expected to launch in 2026—incorporates real-time visualization, shape and material adjustments, and an AI-driven photo shoot generator. The system links digital design directly to additive manufacturing, accelerating product development and reducing material waste.

As additional confirmation that customization via AM is the way to go, yet another company is now offering tailor-made eyewear frames via app. The system presented by Berlin-based Headrix offers fewer customization options, but this makes it more immediately accessible. Users can try on various models and choose from a variety of color finishes, then order the frames for on-demand manufacturing.

Eyeing the big leagues

Customization is 3D printing’s USP for building the mass-customization market of tomorrow and getting into serial production. However, its ability to offer low-batch and reduce the need for scale economics is already being fully exploited today. Boutique eyewear design studios use AM to produce frames that have a unique style and can stand out from the crowd of mass-produced frames. While these are low-batch products in the eyewear industry, they still account for thousands of 3D printed frames sold yearly.

The Swiss company Gotti is the most representative and leading studio in the implementation of 3D printing as a production tool. The company offers dozens of 3D printed designs, some of which present unique implementations of 3D printed components. That also brings up another point: while some of Gotti’s frames are fully 3D printed, a growing trend sees the integration of 3D printed and non-3D printed parts. This allows the studios to leverage more traditional materials (and manufacturing processes) while still offering unique style options. And the trend is growing. Gotti’s Chief Communication Officer, Thomas Frieschknecht, informed VoxelMatters that 3D printing now accounts for the majority of frames sold in the company’s domestic Swiss market. “That’s just what people want,” Frieschknecht said, adding that “in other markets, the current percentage is about 20% but continues to rise.”

Mykita, another Berlin-based boutique eyewear studio, also follows this trend. The company has been offering 3D printed frames for nearly a decade and continues to include 3D printed products among its collections. Unlike Gotti, which offers several different colors and finishes for its 3D printed product portfolio, Mykita’s 3D printed collection focuses exclusively on black finishes and includes several different products, many of which combine 3D printed and non-3D-printed elements.

Among the smaller studios, the number of companies presenting 3D printed designs has decreased significantly compared to past editions, but the ones that remain have consolidated and evolved their offering. Studios like Parasyte and Andrivet (a new company from Valencia) focus on extreme geometries, both offering polymers as well as metal 3D printed frames.

Others, like VM L’Atelier and Monoqool, have been focusing on creating 3D printed designs that integrate unique elements into more conservative and minimalist designs. For example, the Hustler frame from Danish studio Monoqool showcases a unique and complex texture on the frames, something that can only be cost-effectively achieved with 3D printing. Hoet, the pioneer of 3D printed eyewear, was not present directly at the show, but the company was present through its resellers and with a Cabrio design at the Genera booth.

Sustainable competition

We need to be clear: 3D printing of eyewear is here to stay, and it’s growing rapidly, but it’s not going to be a straight and clear highway to the top. Competition from traditional eyewear is strong, powered by high-profile brands, stylish mass-market designs, and high-level materials. Traditional manufacturing processes are evolving, too, and enabling increased customization. For example, the company 3DNA offers an advanced customization app for CNC-cut metal eyewear frames. The company’s founder told us he tried 3D printing first but realized it wasn’t scalable, especially for metal frames.

However, the element that many large companies in the eyewear supply chain are now focusing on is sustainability, both through bio-based and recycled materials. Marchom, a major eyewear manufacturer and distributor, presented the upcycled collection along with samples of frames produced using bio-based plastics as well as recycled metals (copper alloy and steel) and even renewed acetate and tenite (along with polycarbonate).

Typically, the production of an acetate eyewear frame wastes approximately 80% of the raw material. The Italian company Re|Ace collects these scraps from partner companies and regenerates them—without the use of solvents, dyes, chemicals, or other additives. The result is 100% recycled acetate and this process can be repeated up to seven times, with each cycle offering a chance to create new combinations of colors and textures.

Producing frames on demand with 3D printing is still more environmentally friendly, but traditional companies and materials are catching on. This, incidentally, also applies to lenses. Certottica Group, a certification agency for the eyewear industry, participated in MICRO-ALPS by developing a workflow that converts microplastic waste powder from lens production into filament for 3D printing, which can be used in new products. “While this is not a commercial effort at this time,” said Marco Calvi, Group Research and Innovation Manager at Certottica Group, “our main objective is to draw attention to the environmental challenges presented by microplastics in lens manufacturing.”

By reproducing in the laboratory the grinding process used by an optician, researchers isolated and treated the machining residues of the most widely used materials (such as CR39, which accounts for 50% of the market, and MR8, which covers 20%). Through filtration, drying, and pulverization, the waste (EWC code 15 02 03) was transformed into a “filler” for the production of new filaments. Initial tests showed good results: by mixing different amounts of waste (from 1% to 10%) with new polymers, they were able to create a filament that will now be tested for 3D printing objects related to the optics field by the ADMIRE Research Center (University of Carinthia), which could help complete the circular economy process.

And 3D printing is coming to the rescue in the lens manufacturing sector as well. One of the biggest stories to come out of MIDO 2026 is LightForm technology from IOT, a specialist in prescription lens technology. After companies like Luxexcel first tried to target this segment with AM technologies for highly specific prescriptions, IOT is now looking to introduce this additive technology that can meet mass-market prescription lens demands and achieve up to 70% waste reduction.

Light-Form uses a controlled photopolymerization front to harden a lens blank directly to its final geometry. In simple terms, this method differs from traditional lens-making and regular 3D printing because it creates smooth, clear surfaces during the hardening process, and then checks the lens shape. The company also describes integrated resin recovery to reduce waste and envisions multi-head systems for higher throughput with a smaller footprint.

Things are looking up for 3D printing in eyewear.