3D Printing OEM HP Inc. has just announced that it has expanded and deepened its partnership with Oakley, a leading brand of sportswear sunglasses, to provide 3D Printing Services for designing the brand’s sports performance sunglasses.
HP’s Jet Fusion 3D Printing Platform will be used to develop Oakley products and the process will give Oakley the ability to print prototypes while testing variations of colors and sizes. Oakley has previously used HP’s 3D Printers to create helmet prototypes for sports such as cycling, skiing and snowboarding.
Together, the companies will continue to leverage HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D Printing Technology to boost Oakley’s product design process and prototyping: “World-class athletes around the globe depend on Oakley to compete at the highest level, and with HP’s breakthrough 3D printing technology we will not only accelerate our design to production timeline, but we will also reconceptualize the way our products are made, pushing the boundaries of sports performance,” said Nicolas Garfias, head of design at Oakley, in a press release. “Oakley has the highest of design standards, and our innovative 3D printing technology helps them deliver on that experience for millions of athletes around the world,” added Jeff Fawcett, 3D Printing Product Manager at HP Inc. “Together, we are transforming the sports performance community and changing the way the world designs and manufactures consumer products.”
For over 40 years, Oakley has been an important player in the sportswear industry, producing performance eyewear, as well as a range of other products. The company, acquired by eyewear giant Luxottica in 2007, has actually been using 3D Printing since as early as 1992 to streamline its product design process. Actually, Oakley is using HP’s Jet Fusion 580 system to transform and streamline its product design, easily moving from 2D Drawing to physical prototype. With the 3D Printing Technology at their fingertips, Oakley’s designers have the ability to dramatically speed up design iterations, producing prototypes in as little as 24 hours. Moreover, HP’s 3D printing technology enables Oakley to create detailed, full-color prototypes for its eyewear and other products. The company says it can “create rich detailed models by changing the color, breaking up the material in the model and then printing it in different colors to more clearly see different design iterations simultaneously.”
Another advantage of using 3D Printing, according to Oakley, is the ability to test functional parts by replicating the production process and using HP’s 3D High Reusability CB PA 12 material. Finally, Oakley is able to leverage the MJF printer’s build volume to create several prototypes at once.
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