I had new progressive lenses made, but the old ones are still fine and don’t have a scratch. They’re just a bit weak at near distance, but otherwise perfectly serviceable.
So I made new frames for them because I don’t like to throw away things that work.
All assembled, the frames weigh 3.5 grams, and 14 grams with the lenses mounted.
This was printed with a Prusa Mk4 and regular PLA at 0.15 mm layer height. The hinges use simple 10x1 pins - and I worked my magic to print the holes horizontally to the final dimension with interference fit, so no reaming or drilling is necessary. These glasses are straight out of the printer with zero rework.
I think they look pretty good as they are. If anybody notices they’re 3D-printed, I’ll say I’m gunning for that particular style 🙂
The front of the frames prints in 11 minutes and both temples in 12 minutes. I could break and make a new pair every day for the rest of my life and it would still be faster and cheaper than going to Specsavers only once.
Came out nice. Have you tried printing in PETG? It would be more durable than PLA, and you wouldn’t have to do reprints as often.
I’ve only tried PLA at the moment. I’ll try nylon tomorrow for the heck of it.
I don’t think I’ll have to reprint them very often because I’m usually careful with my glasses. Also - something I learned when I made my first round frames out of silver nickel - my lenses are as close to my eyes as possible: it lets small light lenses provide a gigantic field of vision. But another nice effect is that it makes glasses much less prone to damage: if your head hits something - be it a pillow in bed or the road if you fall off your bicycle for instance - small, high-set glasses usually take a hit last after your head makes contact. I usually sleep with my glasses on and nothing ever happens to them.
Just beware nylon will swell when absorbs moisture
Yeah I know. That’s why my spools are sitting in a dryer. I’ll see how the finished glasses fare. Maybe the hinges will crack if the rims swell: they’re kind of thin.
ABS would be a better option.
Really cool. How did you get the lenses in? Just pressure fit?
The hinges on the rims are split in the middle, so the rims can open up. They’re held closed by the temple part of the hinges that wraps around them, and everything is helds together by the hinge pins. Aside from the lenses, the hinge pins are the only thing that aren’t printed.
Very good idea
Near distant? Is that actually a thing? Is there far near too?
Are the lenses perfectly round. Or have you had to scan them before modeling ?
They are not perfectly round. They’re slightly elliptical - 38 mm / 40 mm diameters. I know that because they were mounted on a silver-nickel frame I made myself some 20 years ago with those dimensions, so I didn’t have to measure them.
I did have to make a couple of prints and take out a few tenths here and there to get a tight fit around the lenses because my 3D-printed grooves and the ones in my metal frames don’t have the same geometry. But it was only minor adjustments.
“You’re a wizard, Harry!”
All jokes aside, they look great.
This is so clever! Last eye test. Have you shared them anywhere?
Haha no, I still need an eye test, and I need to have the lenses made. But I can print any frames I want provided they match the shape of the lenses and respect my pupillary distance - which is baked into the lenses too.
