{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/144942"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/144942","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Optically Clear FDM Printing","abstract":"3D printers are becoming increasingly common in homes and libraries across the country. With it comes a desire to make something, but little direction about what to make. A large percentage of the US population wears glasses, so a project which allows people to 3D print their own glasses would be both meaningful and practical if it can be done using easy-to-learn skills. While there is a single documented example of producing a 3D printed lens with some post-processing, that used SLA printer, which is currently less common, especially amongst individuals. I set out to determine whether this process could be amended for FDM 3D printing or if there is another way to make optically clear lenses with an FDM printer. I discovered that the other traditional smoothing techniques were not sufficient to create a clear surface, but resin coating could result in a fully transparent object. However, further research is needed to determine whether a specific focus can be repeatably created using this method, and it would still require a substantial time investment on the part of the potential user. This makes it a poor early-learning project, but leaves open the potential value to more advanced makers.","abstract_html":"3D printers are becoming increasingly common in homes and libraries across the country. With it comes a desire to make something, but little direction about what to make. A large percentage of the US population wears glasses, so a project which allows people to 3D print their own glasses would be both meaningful and practical if it can be done using easy-to-learn skills. While there is a single documented example of producing a 3D printed lens with some post-processing, that used SLA printer, which is currently less common, especially amongst individuals. I set out to determine whether this process could be amended for FDM 3D printing or if there is another way to make optically clear lenses with an FDM printer. I discovered that the other traditional smoothing techniques were not sufficient to create a clear surface, but resin coating could result in a fully transparent object. However, further research is needed to determine whether a specific focus can be repeatably created using this method, and it would still require a substantial time investment on the part of the potential user. This makes it a poor early-learning project, but leaves open the potential value to more advanced makers.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pettit, Leah"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":"Bachelor","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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With it comes a desire to make something, but little direction about what to make. A large percentage of the US population wears glasses, so a project which allows people to 3D print their own glasses would be both meaningful and practical if it can be done using easy-to-learn skills. While there is a single documented example of producing a 3D printed lens with some post-processing, that used SLA printer, which is currently less common, especially amongst individuals. I set out to determine whether this process could be amended for FDM 3D printing or if there is another way to make optically clear lenses with an FDM printer. I discovered that the other traditional smoothing techniques were not sufficient to create a clear surface, but resin coating could result in a fully transparent object. However, further research is needed to determine whether a specific focus can be repeatably created using this method, and it would still require a substantial time investment on the part of the potential user. This makes it a poor early-learning project, but leaves open the potential value to more advanced makers."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.B."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Optically Clear FDM Printing"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Fang, Nicholas Xuanlai"],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Pettit, Leah"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2022-08-29T16:22:32Z"],"dc:date.available":["2022-08-29T16:22:32Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2022-05"],"dc:description.abstract":["3D printers are becoming increasingly common in homes and libraries across the country. With it comes a desire to make something, but little direction about what to make. A large percentage of the US population wears glasses, so a project which allows people to 3D print their own glasses would be both meaningful and practical if it can be done using easy-to-learn skills. While there is a single documented example of producing a 3D printed lens with some post-processing, that used SLA printer, which is currently less common, especially amongst individuals. I set out to determine whether this process could be amended for FDM 3D printing or if there is another way to make optically clear lenses with an FDM printer. I discovered that the other traditional smoothing techniques were not sufficient to create a clear surface, but resin coating could result in a fully transparent object. However, further research is needed to determine whether a specific focus can be repeatably created using this method, and it would still require a substantial time investment on the part of the potential user. This makes it a poor early-learning project, but leaves open the potential value to more advanced makers."],"dc:description.degree":["S.B."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144942"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["CC0 - Public Domain","Copyright Public Domain"],"dc:rights.uri":["https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/"],"dc:title":["Optically Clear FDM Printing"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Bachelor","Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:22Z"}