Shaping Glass in the 21st Century: Additive Manufacturing of Transparent Glass Objects - Glass3D

Project summary

The fabrication of glass objects having complex shapes with advanced functionalities such as adaptors and connectors for optical circuit boards is not realized due to materials and technological limitations, and there is an unmet need for new fabrication processes for making functional glass objects. The most innovative and modern shaping technology of the 21st century is the additive manufacturing. The 3D printing of glassy objects, specifically for optical applications, is still very challenging. Thus, fundamental materials research and technological development will provide advances in 3D fabrication methods. The major goal in the project is to provide 3D printed glassy demonstrator objects with high optical transparency as well as reduced amount of bubbles and interfaces for potential future applications as optical components, e.g. light guide structures, miniaturized lenses and mirrors, and optical computing.