GlassesUSA.com, a leading online eyewear retailer, plans to disrupt the traditional eyeglass frame market by launching 3D printable glasses. The company offers frame files, which were designed by renowned digital sculptor, Janne Kyttanen, that it claims can be printed at home “at no cost.”
GlassesUSA.com says that consumers will be able to personalize their 3D printed glasses frames to reflect their individuality and style, while also adding custom prescription lenses available at GlassesUSA.com.
The customizable parts of the frames are things like color, adding their name, inscribing things, and so on. The lens pieces are not allowed to be altered so that they can fit these templates. When I asked about high prescription lenses like the one I have (more than -8.00 diopters), it turns out that users can alter the thickness of the frame bezel to accommodate some thicker lenses. But GlassesUSA.com does not see such prescriptions as a large portion of their market. They are targeting glasses wearers with more moderate prescriptions.
“For the past 10 years, we have been disrupting the way consumers purchase their glasses and have incorporated new technologies to make the purchasing experience better. The addition of 3D printable frames marks a new milestone in our history, which further puts consumers in complete control of their eyewear needs,” said Daniel Rothman, CEO of GlassesUSA.com. “We are proud to be leading the way educating consumers about buying glasses online– in this case giving the power back to consumers, furthering our mission to make glasses affordable and accessible to all.”
There are three templates available to choose from – Phoenix, Mermaid and Dragon –all based on the brands best-selling frames, each one with a different shape: wayfarer, rectangular and round, to fit the variety of face shapes.
The concept behind this project is that consumers can change the frame shape with colors, adding text to the temples for personalization like name or phone number in case the glasses get lost. The 3D frame files are compatible with STL and OBJ formats and after completing the printing process all that’s left to do is order the lenses from GlassesUSA.com.
To commemorate the launch of 3D printed glasses, GlassesUSA.com is giving consumers an opportunity to design their own frames for a chance to win a $300 gift card to GlassesUSA.com. Participants must upload their design to Instagram, tag the brand, and use #GlassesUSA3D to enter the contest by Feb. 28, 2018. Two winners will be selected by Janne Kyttanen and announced by Mar. 1, 2018.
GlassesUSA.com
www.GlassesUSA.com/3D
