Bringing Back
Traditional Material
Into Smart Glasses.
Acetate is a commonly used material in eyewear, however it is not used as a frame in smart glasses (in 2018), because electronic enclosures are usually manufactured by injection mould and it is extremely difficult to inject mold acetate. Recommended and conventional way to produce frames with acetate is to mechanically cut out the shape from cured sheets of block acetate.
Acetate has richness in finish surface compared to other plastics. The material is known for durable and flexible (when heated) characteristics, which allows the frames to be bent and adjusted for a better fit.
Because it is such a miss to not have acetate used as frame material, acetate was explored to make frame enclosures. Through experimentation, restraints were found in the making between material and the design.
Goal Of The Enclosure Design
1) Fittings are compact that electronics will not be broken easily as they are safely enclosed.
2) Using CNC to precisely cut acetate and form an enclosure case with 2mm thickness.
Process Of CNC
Cutting and Forming: The frames are cut to shape using computer controlled mills according to the design input.
Problems Faced With CNC
Because the electronics need to be integrated in the frame, inner surface needs to be cut to provide space. Usually a bracket is enough for the support when cnc cutting frames. but for this process, as the inner surface is cut, there is less weight support, which shakes and could lift the material board. This leads to milling the wrong spot and ruining the piece.
