Crystal Eyecare now offers 3D Printing services with some design assistance.

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3D-Printing is an additive process. This means you build objects out of a material versus other methods such as CAM which results in a block/sheet of material being milled or routed out. Both systems make use of files of CAD files like the *.stl file extension. While this jargon may seem like a lot, the basics are simple: Design an object in a program (similar to sketching or drawing) like Fusion 360 or TinkerCad. That program generates a file that is then used to create the object. There are a variety of 3D-Printers available. Crystal Eyecare has a Form 2 from FormLabs. It is an SLA printer. SLA printers use a laser to cure a layer of material at a time.

So the next question is, what can 3D Printing do for you? Well all you have to do is get a file and leave the rest to us. People all over the world sell designs of all types of objects imaginable. For anyone who knows Al, our resident optician, he has a fascination with oloids; mathematical toys that have a peculiar roll but satisfying roll. Getting files is pretty easy. Etsy would be a great start for designs on vases, figurines and other objects that  are of interest to you. The applications are virtually endless.

3D-Printing can help:

• Make parts that no longer exist.
• Create unique objects such as jewelry, toys, figurines, really just about anything.
• Make replacement parts or improvements to an already existing part.

Crystal Eyecare can:

• print objects in a variety of plastics with different specifications such as “silicone” and “rubber” like objects
• print in various acrylics
• print in various dental materials
• print in some unique engineering materials such as Formlabs “high-temp resin” for use in injection molding. This was used by google to create molds for special projects.

If you have an idea and some specifications, Crystal Eyecare uses Fusion 360 and Autodesk MeshMixer for design.

• 14.5 × 14.5 × 17.5 cm Build Volume
• 100, 50, and 25 micron layer thickness
• do consider these design-specs