Zero-waste manufacturing of ophthalmic lenses by direct Fluidic Shaping in arbitrary domains

Traditional manufacturing of ophthalmic lenses relies heavily on mechanical grinding and polishing. These subtractive processes are not only expensive and time-consuming but also inherently wasteful. While Fluidic Shaping offers a promising alternative by utilizing surface tension to naturally create exceptionally smooth optical surfaces, this method has conventionally been restricted to simple, elliptical boundaries. In this seminar, I will present a novel methodology that overcomes this limitation, enabling the manufacture of optical components by utilizing Fluidic Shaping directly on arbitrary boundary domains. I will introduce the Cookie Cutter algorithm – a theoretical and experimental framework that dictates the exact boundary conditions required to precisely control the topography of a bounded liquid volume. I will start by detailing the mathematical derivation of our governing equations. Next, I will discuss the physical fabrication process and the experimental setups used to transition these theoretical models into solid, UV-cured polymer lenses. Finally, I will present a sensitivity analysis and our experimental validation together with an evaluation of the optical performance of the resulting lenses, demonstrating the potential of this approach for customized, zero-waste optics manufacturing.