Materialise (Nasdaq: MTLS) is an early pioneer in 3D printing eyewear. The Belgian software, services, and medical 3D printing leader has always excelled at unlocking new applications. Personalized body products have always been one of Materialise’s strengths. It pioneered CMF implants, dental 3D printing, surgical guides, implants, and one of its first products was anatomical models. Its Mimics software has been a key tool for many medical researchers to use DICOM data and 3D printing in various ways. Materialise also powers a lot of software that allows people to plan different types of surgeries. The company’s dental unit, since sold to Dentsply Sirona, was also a very early pioneer in CT to surgical guides and implants.
The company also believes passionately in doing good. Given the enormous amount of waste in the eyewear industry, making customized glasses on demand is much more efficient. Since glasses and eyewear can be seen as medical-adjacent, it is almost entirely logical for the firm to start making eyewear. Eyewear is a good fit for powder bed fusion and PA 12. Powder bed fusion can produce many eyewear frames at once. Along with batch-based depowdering, resurfacing, and coloring, it can create cost-effective, strong glasses. On the service side, Materialise has been a pioneer in using PA 12 powder bed fusion for industrial parts and surgical guides. The firm has made hundreds of thousands of surgical guides, each time going from scan to custom part. Having achieved the required repeatability, safety, and reliability, expanding into eyewear was a natural progression.
Frames that Materialise can 3D print. Image courtesy of Materialise.
What Has Materialise Done in Eyewear?
The company developed its own validated workflows, post-processing, and complete customization software. It also partnered with many organizations. Consistently, it has turned to Hoet Design Studio to design many glasses for itself and its partners. The studio, a pioneer in the field, started in 2011. Materialise has also collaborated numerous times with Hoya, a Japanese firm that is a leader in lenses and eye centering. This partnership led to Yuniku, a service to customize glasses, and the Hoya Vision Simulator tool. With Yuniku, you can walk into a store and get your face scanned. Simultaneously, the lens position will be scanned. You can then choose a model and color and try them on virtually. The glasses are then 3D printed. This nearly achieves the holy grail in eyewear, providing a unique point-of-sale service that results in better-fitting, more comfortable glasses.
Materialise has also worked with Aoyama and Seiko. It invested in Ditto, a startup that lets you virtually try on glasses. The company has developed more sustainable glasses using sustainable PA 11 and has worked with Safilo to produce glasses as well. In 2023, Materialise released transparent frames and collaborated with Vuzix to create smart eyewear.
And Now What?
Imagine getting the future right but just being too early. Materialise has consistently pioneered the art of making 3D printed glasses. Surface finish, dyeing, and pricing have improved over time. At the same time, it has worked with large companies to leverage their expertise. By exploring virtual try-on, in-store experiences, app-based experiences, eye centering, and more, it has sought to break down barriers. The promise is still there: what if you could do everything needed to get perfectly made glasses from home? Then, perhaps you’d only buy glasses online.
Eyewear may be less of a focus for the firm lately given their move more towards medical, but if it harnessed the right designer, distribution, or trend, it could really grow its glasses business. Having tried partnerships for over a decade, maybe a more enabling model would be more fruitful. What if you could upload a design and sell it directly, with Materialise handling the rest? Such a model could unlock a lot of creative talent and provide Materialise with the growth it needs.