By Denis Langlois

Toronto-based Specsy, which recently announced the launch of its 3-D printed plastic resin custom eyewear line into the United States, now has its eyes set on offering more frame materials.

“We are building metal 3-D printing into our custom digital design workflow, so Specsy retailers can offer a 3-D printed metal frame alongside our core 3-D printed plastic line,” Ashley Barby, the company’s chief operating officer, told Optical Prism magazine.

“Long-term, our vision is to continue adding new materials to our design and production workflow, with wood and acetate on our future roadmap.”

Specsy announced its entry into the U.S. market during a press conference at Vision Expo East in New York City.

“We decided to enter the U.S. market because we are one of the first companies to establish an end-to-end turnkey solution for optical retailers to design custom frames in-store. As one of the first companies to market in this space, we are focused on establishing a distribution network across North America,” Barby says.

Specsy provides optical professionals with a retail-ready app to design custom glasses tailored to the patient’s aesthetic preferences and technical requirements. The Specsy retail app uses augmented reality, allowing patients to design frames on a live image of their face. By utilizing 3-D facial scans and a digital design process, Specsy provides optical professionals the opportunity to offer a truly custom frame.

Specsy utilizes an in-house multi-colour 3-D printer to craft their plastic resin frames. By taking advantage of the most cutting-edge technology available in 3-D printing, Specsy frames achieve a durability level previously unattainable in 3-D printing.

Barby says the plan is to begin offering a custom metal frame in late 2018.
More information is available on their website specsy.com