Techniques for three-dimensional (3d) printing of glass have opened the door to novel glass structures with both unconventional structures and tailored composition. The state-of-the art in glass 3d printing and associated challenges will be presented. Emphasis will be placed on the direct ink writing approach, which can be used to produce multi-composition optics such as GRIN lenses. The discussion will cover formulation science, mass transport in multi-material systems, as well as strategies for formation of glass and multi-material optics.
The capability to customize the structure or composition of an optical element gives designers access to previously unrealizable configurations that show promise for reducing costs, enhancing functionality, as well as improving the size, weight, and power of optical systems. Techniques for three-dimensional (3d) printing of glass have opened the door to novel glass optics with both unconventional structures and tailored composition. An overview of the state-of-the art in glass 3d printing will be presented. Particular emphasis will be placed on the direct ink writing (DIW) technique, in which specially formulated silica pastes are extruded through a nozzle and deposited in the geometry of interest, forming low density green bodies. The green bodies are then converted to full density, optically homogeneous glass by a series of heat treatments. The 3d printed silica-based glass components have material and optical properties that rival conventionally prepared optical grade fused silica. In addition, glass optics that contain tailored gradients in composition, such as gradient index lenses, have been achieved by DIW by blending separate inks inline at the print nozzle and directly depositing the desired composition profile before forming the glass. Strategies are also being developed to reduce time to development of new materials and structures.
Additive manufacturing offers new routes to lightweight optics inaccessible by conventional methods by providing a broader range of reconciled functionality, form factor, and cost. Predictive lattice design combined with the ability to 3D print complex structures allows for the creation of low-density metamaterials with high global and local stiffness and tunable response to static and dynamic loading. This capacity provides a path to fabrication of lightweight optical supports with tuned geometries and mechanical properties. Our approach involves the simulation and optimization of lightweight lattices for anticipated stresses due to polishing and mounting loads via adaptive mesh refinement. The designed lattices are 3D printed using large area projection microstereolithography (LAPuSL), coated with a metallic plating to improve mechanical properties, and bonded to a thin (1.25 mm) fused silica substrate. We demonstrate that this lightweight assembly can be polished to a desired flatness using convergent polishing, and subsequently treated with a reflective coating.
*This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 within the LDRD program. LLNL-ABS-738806.
Conference Committee Involvement (7)
Dimensional Optical Metrology and Inspection for Practical Applications XIV
16 April 2025 | Orlando, Florida, United States
Dimensional Optical Metrology and Inspection for Practical Applications XIII
24 April 2024 | National Harbor, Maryland, United States
Dimensional Optical Metrology and Inspection for Practical Applications XII
2 May 2023 | Orlando, Florida, United States
Dimensional Optical Metrology and Inspection for Practical Applications XI
5 April 2022 | Orlando, Florida, United States
Dimensional Optical Metrology and Inspection for Practical Applications X
12 April 2021 | Online Only, Florida, United States
Dimensional Optical Metrology and Inspection for Practical Applications IX
27 April 2020 | Online Only, California, United States
Dimensional Optical Metrology and Inspection for Practical Applications VIII
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