3D Printed Sunglasses

Materials:

Donor sunglasses, caliper (ruler can be used instead), modeling program, 3D Printer, Dremel with cutoff wheel, screwdriver, sandpaper

Step 1: Measuring

From the donor sunglasses you'll want to use a caliper and measure out all the feature of the glasses so you can design it in a modeling program. This includes x,y coordinates of curves, thi

Step 2: Designing

Using the measurements taking from the donor sunglasses, you'll want to recreate the different parts digitally. You can use whatever modeling software you are comfortable with, I used solidworks but it can easily be done with something free like google sketchup. You can download these files if you don't feel like designing your own either!

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:813228

Making the temples (sides):

I first started with a rectangular block, made a vertical cut that resembled the top view I drew. I then made a horizontal cut from the side view of my sketch. From there I curved the corners, added a hinge, and made some design cuts that I thought looked aesthetically pleasing (if you download my files I leave out these design cuts so you can customize your own).

Once you've designed one side, simply mirror it and you have the other side done as well!

Making the frames:

Similar to the sides, I started with a rectangular block, made a vertical cut that resembled the top view I drew. I then made a horizontal cut from the front view of my sketch. I then made another cut for the lenses, added hinges, and nose rests.

From here you'll want to save each part as an .stl file so that your 3d printer's slicer can understand the model. If you dont have a 3d printer you can upload your .stl file to a website such as shapeways.com and they'll print and ship it to you for a fee.

Step 3: Printing

Now that you have your parts in .stl file format, you'll want to put it through a slicer and print it! I'm using my CraftBot 3D Printer with blue PLA.

Warning: If you use PLA, be aware that leaving it in the car on a hot summer day might make the plastic reach its glass transition tempurature which will cause it to warp and disfigure. ABS has higher heat tolerance and wouldn't have this issue, just thought I'd give a friendly reminder to be cautious!

Step 4: Assembly & Finishing

Now that all your parts are printed, it's time to assemble!

I didn't design any grooves for the lenses to fit into since I wasn't sure exactly how closely my designs were going to fit the lenses. Once I printed the frames I saw I really only needed grooves at the top and bottom of the frames, so I used a dremel with a cutoff wheel attachment to make grooves for the lenses to fit into.

Then simply screw the sides to the frames and make sure everything lines up level, and feels comfortable. If the glasses are crooked, consider sanding, or heating the classes with a hair dryer to be able mold it into a shape that isn't crooked.

Now go and show off your cool new 3D printed sunglasses!

let me know if you have any questions!