3DPRINTOPTIXMARKET · 3D Printed Micro-Optics to the Market

In the project 3DPrintoptixMarket, we are going to take 3D printed micro-optics to the market. The technology had been developed in the framework of PoC grant 3DPRINTEDOPTICS by the group of Harald Giessen, who had published key papers of this technology and who founded the company Printoptix GmbH as an outcome. We are going to build complex 3D printed multiplet micro-lenses for augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) applications and will address a market that is growing at more than 40% annual rate to reach a market size of over 300 billion USD in the year 2028.For this purpose, we are going to team up the Printoptix company with one of the leading eye tracking companies, Viewpointsystem GmbH from Vienna, to develop a first industrially viable demonstrator that integrates 3D printed micro-optics into their AR/VR goggles to read out the eye pupil position upon infrared illumination. We are going to take this technology demonstrators to early customers, which use such systems for remote repair, remote advice, and for customer training and monitoring. Upon success, our technology will be taken to larger customers that address the giant AR/VR/MR market, which includes teleconferencing, remote medicine, servicing and training, and gaming.Simultaneously, we are going to explore viable business models for 3D printed micro-optics and address key business numbers such asmanufacturing cost per part, overhead, investments etc. One key part of our proposal is to lower the cost per part to reach numbers below existing technologies. Furthermore, we are going to prepare a business plan to get 3D printed micro-optics investor-ready. This will assure that our worldleading, disruptive 3D printed micro-optics technology ansatz provides unique high-tech solutions for global markets, which are right now not addressed by Asian or American companies. This will therefore be a hallmark example for “Made in Europe” high technology.