Development of a mirascope using 3D printing

Abstract

In this study, a precise optomechanical mirascope was designed using 3D printing. The mirascope comprised multiple optical mirrors and mechanical elements, which were designed and printed using the same material. This combined design reduces the errors from assembled integration and various environments. Using 3D printing to fabricate optical systems reduces cost and time compared with the traditional optical manufacturing process. Moreover, 3D printing allows more freedom in optomechanical design than traditional mechanical manufacturing allows. However, the surface finishing quality of 3D-printed components does not currently meet the requirement of precise optics. Diamond turning to finish the surface enables it to conform to the requirements of optical application. In this study, the mirascope comprised two aspherical mirrors and integrated mechanical parts with a diameter of 50.8 mm. The optical image was designed with a magnification of 0.875 × and floating distance of 1.5 mm. The mirascope was printed on an Objet500 Connex 3D printer and VeroPureWhite RGD837 and VeroBlackPlus RGD875 materials. The profile and roughness of the aspherical surfaces in printing, turning, and polishing processes were analyzed in this study. The techniques developed in this study can be applied to 3D-printed optics, mirascope, virtual reality, and 3D projection systems.