3D-printed refractive secondary optics for LED lighting

Indika U. Perera; Jean Paul Freyssinier; Nadarajah Narendran; Akila S. Udage

doi:10.1117/12.2679198

29 September 2023 3D-printed refractive secondary optics for LED lighting

Indika U. Perera, Jean Paul Freyssinier, Nadarajah Narendran, Akila S. Udage

Proceedings Volume 12670, 3D Printing for Lighting; 1267003 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2679198
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2023, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

During the past several years, the interest for 3D printing of lighting optics has been growing rapidly. Most optical prototypes have been 3D printed using transparent photopolymer resin materials. However, the literature has limited information about the optical efficiency and the accuracy of beam shaping of such 3D-printed lenses. Therefore, to better understand the status of 3D printing lenses, a total internal reflection (TIR) lens was designed for use in replacement MR-16 (multifaceted-reflector) LED integral lamps. Several lenses were 3D printed in our laboratory and by two manufacturers. These 3D-printed samples were tested and the results were compared with a commercially available injection-molded TIR lens. The process and results of this benchmarking study are presented in this paper. The goal of this investigation was to study how 3D printer and material combination, build orientation, and post-processing affect the optical performance of LED lamps. The results showed differences in optical efficiency and beam shape for the printed samples. The highest optical efficiency achieved by these prototypes was 75%. The 3D-printed lenses with post-processing had similar performance to the injection-molded lens in terms of optical efficiency and beam width. The results showed that the layer height and print orientation affected the optical performance of the 3D-printed lenses. Our final conclusion is that 3D printing can achieve similar performance to commercially available polymer TIR lenses when suitable print parameters and postprocessing are selected. Further studies are needed to identify the best build orientation and print layer height to minimize the light scattering that affects the lens performance.

Conference Presentation

(2023) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Indika U. Perera, Jean Paul Freyssinier, Nadarajah Narendran, and Akila S. Udage "3D-printed refractive secondary optics for LED lighting", Proc. SPIE 12670, 3D Printing for Lighting, 1267003 (29 September 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2679198

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