SILMO Paris 2024 spotlights 3D printed eyewear, replacement frames and more
This past weekend, Paris hosted its annual optical fair, SILMO, which showcased the latest trends in the eyewear and optical industries. Unsurprisingly to us, the event put the spotlight on 3D printing technologies in more ways than one, with various designers and exhibitors demonstrating 3D printed eyewear products as well as production capabilities.
Among the 3D printing highlights at SILMO 2024 were the latest frames designed by Guillaume Boisson from Impression Eyewear and 3D printed in partnership with Materialise Manufacturing. The glasses, called Aqua and made from Materialise’s translucent material (first launched at SILMO 2023), are inspired by the essence of water and capture its fluidity and movement. As Alireza Parandian, founder of the business line eyewear at Materialise, said: “This is more than just eyewear; it’s a true art piece that captures the essence of being like water—light, blue and seamless.”
3D printing was also a key focus point in the event’s Futurology segment, which illuminated what the future of optics will look like and how current trends could evolve. Specifically, SILMO 2024 set up an optical shop of the future, which included a digital AI-driven experience for vision testing, a 3D scanning system for optimal eyewear fit and customization and real-time 3D printing of custom frames.
Tech Print Industries (TPI), a “global team of eyecare professionals, designers, software engineers and marketers”, set up a booth where they demonstrated how to 3D scan someone’s face, customize frames and then 3D print them using HP’s full-color Multi Jet Fusion technology. Elsewhere at the event, Austrian DLP 3D printing company GENERA showcased its Mission Eyewear solution, including its G1/F1 3D printing system and the new C1 color mixing machine, which enables opticians to offer a broader range of color options to their clients and directly 3D print frames using the company’s Digital Acetate material.
Notably, French startup OOmade was awarded the SILMO d’Or award in the category of Technological Innovation in Eyewear for its “OOmade SAV 3D” solution, which leverages on-site 3D printing and a bioplastic to produce replacement frames for customers that come into opticians with broken glasses. The idea is that the lenses from the original frames can be immediately fitted into the replacement pair while the customer waits for their new glasses to be delivered. The solution has already been deployed at about 130 opticians across France, who have already 3D printed 8,000 pairs of replacement glasses.
