Making Lenses with a CNC Router Part 1

In this video I am going to make different lenses with the help of my MPCNC.
Music:
"Blur (2018)" by ryan ( / rsfmu )
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution - ShareAlike 3.0 License creativecommon...
"Polaroid" by extenz (exte.nz)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommon...

[@anilshirsat4406]

Most incredible technique of making Lenses with acrylic sheets, router used with its highest potential 👌

[@CalvinoBear]

For those interested, check out the VFT Orbit 2, which is a machine used for pre-polish surfacing of eyeglass lenses. That's how it's done in the prescription optics industry. Unsurprisingly there's quite a bit of aberration in these lenses, but it's quite impressive what you can do with even a MPCNC. Very cool video!

[@MaxQ10001]

Next step: find a tool making it possible to get the CNC to polish it. Btw, by using steel rods you can make registration holes and CNC from both sides. It's quite easy to get to work with enough accuracy.

[@RonaldFinger]

Incredible stuff, man. It’s only a matter of time before hobbyists making prescription eye lenses becomes a regular thing!

[@BrightBlueJim]

And then, it's only a slightly different matter of time before 3D plans for a refractor instrument.

[@myadler]

This is huge! Make eyeglasses! They are usually just plain old polycarbonate. Next step is to make a program to generate Gcode for a lens using a regular glasses prescription.

[@dominic6634]

Use to make optics its actually the chipping around the edges and the polishing that will get you.

[@AKAtheA]

polycarbonate, but with a bunch of coatings for less reflection an more scratch resistance...

[@alejandrodelabarra2838]

It is very simple. Normal lens are spherical. This generates an aberration for lenses with high curvature. Theoretical lens are parabolid, which are very simple to caculate: z=aR^2 + bR +c Where R = x^2 + y^2

[@hoppelhaase9858]

Junge, Junge, wie geil ist das denn bitte? Respekt. Das ist ja Wahnsinn.

[@yootoob7048]

Very Interesting! I look forward to Part 2.

[@jafinch78]

Good timing... I recently watched a video since I've been studying other frequencies than the common IR-VIS-UV lenses and I though this video did a great job describing in the audio range... figured I'd share for reference (note the whole video is great too) for those interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZimp52bpqhobdE

[@tgirard123]

Just ordered a set various mills and am going to the plastic store tomorrow for some acrylic. I'm going to be spending the bulk of my day adjusting my MPCNC to get it running in peak form. Thanks for this video series

[@neilboardman6640]

this was about the most helpful vid ive seen for 6 months. My issue is VR helmets have terrible lenses in them that defocus around the edges and chromicise the light (colour split) I need VR for digital sculpting, but its only useful with lenses in the head set that are "right" I know why the lenses are "wrong" and I know how to fix it, but I have to build the lenses my self. this is how I can do it! thankyou so much

[@asmitapatil1097]

It's good to see how the lenses are prepared.Thank You so much!!!!!

[@harryragland7840]

This came out far better than I would have guessed. It might be interesting to try for a sort of Tessar type lens using 3 elements; a planer convex - planer concave at the objective and a planer convex near the film plane. It will probably have a lot of distortion and chromatic aberration, but it would be interesting to try.

[@BrightBlueJim]

I think wherever you see lenses that have cemented elements, it's to correct for chromatic aberration. I would think that by using clear plastics of different dispersion and refractive index, the same thing could be done. However, the glass lens designs that have been developed over time have all been based on available glasses. No telling how these could be adapted to plastics.

[@zezebeavogui6694]

Thank you so much for the great video. Please tell us what are the specifications of the special glue and the acrylic sheet you are using.

[@brucewilliams6292]

This was a really cool project. Subscribed. You really push the limits of what can be done in the home shop.

[@Sgt_Hest]

How about... Put a polishing pad on the cnc and let it run really slowly over the lens many times ;) it knows the correct curve and all

[@TheRainHarvester]

H. Petersen that's a great idea!

[@lotoox7299]

It wouldn't avoid scratching the lens though, which makes it just as god as hand polishing

[@raresranga8511]

cnc spindles are not good for polishing, most of them lack torque and at higher speeds will probably melt the acrylic, I tried once to polish a stainless steel sheet with my router, it did not go well...

[@dominic6634]

@@raresranga8511 actually they work great. you just cant go heavy, light cuts maybe .003 inch at a time. you also need a special coolant.

[@brukernavnfettsjit]

Amazing! I would never have thought about making lenses on a cnc router!

[@googacct]

Very interesting. I have seen something similar done with stereolithography, but I did not think it would work well with a mechanical cnc router. I do not know if you wear glasses, but it would be interesting to see if you could make your own set to eyeglasses and see how usable they are.

[@dominick3579]

Those lenses are beautiful. I want to do this exact thing sometime this year

[@geektoolkit]

That’s so cool!!! Well done I love how much I learn from your videos, and I had NO idea you could make lenses with an MPCNC. Excited to get my shed done so I can get mine running and try this.

[@lucianolizana446]

This is really good! May i sugest that you can also make ASPHERIC lenses just as easy!, those function much better, way more precise focal point and no abberration on the borders Congrats from Santiago!

[@TheRainHarvester]

Very unique project! Great job. It's amazing how precise these diy cncs are. My build surprised me!

[@revb0]

Just the video I have been looking for! Got to make a lens on the end of a 12mm acrylic rod.

[@vintyprod]

This is genius! This channel is a gold mine

[@scrap1451]

This is a Game changer my friend. You are genius. Thanks for sharing.

[@mrfoameruk]

Would adding water or oil to the cutting process make any difference. ie if heat might be causing a problem with the acrylic or causing the acrylic chips to scratch the acrylic lens whilst cutting. Maybe just air assist to blow the chips away.

[@robertgaut9396]

So cool! I hadn't thought about making lenses on my CNC. I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@ChristianDeutinger]

Did you ever try to make a Fresnel lens? polishing would be probably the problem.

[@howardjones543]

This is fantastic! Looking forward to the second part. I have a project where I want a close-focus from a webcam-style camera to fill the frame - I've never really understood what parameters I need to (or even can) change to get where I want. High school physics was a long time ago!

[@dewexdewex]

I'm looking forward to the next video very much. Have you tried cutting fresnel lenses yet?

[@mawitonik]

Very interesting, I can't wait for part two. Designing my own custom soldering aid glasses sounds really nice, now I only need a CNC T_T

[@thepulsar]

If you've got a lathe you can improve the sanding and polishing process by rotating the lens at slow speed :) I made some lenses like that out of PMMA and they were < 3 microns rms

[@JimmyFPV]

dude this is so cool!!! i never knew u could make lenses on a CNC! great content! keep up the awesome work!

[@harviecz]

Do you know that acrylic can be heat polished?? It will not work on completely unpolished surface, but can make the final step bit easier by allowing you to eliminate the highest grits... But be sure not to overdue it, since acrylic might out gas and bubbles will form, if the heat gets too deep. Takes practice with blowtorch or heatgun.

[@thomasedwards339]

there's a polishing compound I've used on motorcycle helmets that works very well...I apologize that I don not remember the name...but a motorcycle shop should carry something of that nature. Thank you for a very interesting video!

[@JamesHarris-be8nr]

Very impressive results. Are aspheric lenses on your list of optical elements to attempt with this technique?

[@alejandrodelabarra2838]

¡Naaa... congratuléishons!!!! I made a rough wood CNC. I'll give it a try. You inspired me!! Tanks Again: ¡Congratulations!

[@axelSixtySix]

Well done ! You can save on polishing time with a torch. That's comonly used to clear acrylic edges.

[@pandakso3365]

Please compare the performance of a state of the art lens and your lens with similar size and shape! How much worse is yours?

[@designaids]

Very nice, I had been looking for exactly the same how lens are made at very basic Can you also shade some light on how progressive lens profile will look like and may be little more on geometry and calculation on achieving certain power Any way I can directly communicate with you? Looking forward Br Ahmed Khan From Pakistan

[@timelschner8451]

sehr gute Idee mit dem CNC Router! vielleicht kannst Du ja auch einen Polieraufsatz auf die Spindel montieren und einen langen Polierpass fahren. Das dürfte mitunter ein konsistenteres Ergebnis liefern.

[@JoseSilveira-newhandleforYT]

Really impressive results!

[@JM-cg3ps]

J.J. Abrams called, he wants a lens with MORE FLARE!!

[@alexandrehersent2144]

This is so cool ! What software do you use to generate the g code ?

[@bananago3382]

Tolle Arbeit! Daumen hoch

[@jmtx.]

This is so awesome. Wonder if lens for glasses can be made.

[@sujeetsuman6324]

Amazing

[@mosta5]

that's very interesting . good job

[@gustavocortico1681]

Could you in principle attatch the polishing paper to a sponge or another elastic material and make the cnc do the polishing heavy lifting?

[@orosalsero]

That was a very unique way of making you own lens, have you trying making a Fresnel lens?, thanks for sharing your ideas.

[@leonbrauns]

I think it isn’t possible to make fresnel lenses with a CNC Router, as their geometry is too complex.

[@cliffchism9187]

Awesome! What are the chances that lapping and polishing could also be automated on the cnc? Thus would make astronomical mirror grinding a possibility as well.

[@leonbrauns]

You would need a CNC which is able to use flood cooling (mine is not). Also, for something like astronomical mirrors, I don’t think a CNC router is accurate enough. A CNC lathe would be much better suited for that.

[@rudisoft]

Very well done indeed!

[@neur303]

Are these aspherical lenses? I have not great knowledge about optics. But I know spherical aberration can be minimized and I think this would be a great fit for the CNC process :)

[@BrightBlueJim]

The lenses he's cutting here are spherical, but you could just as well model aspherical lenses.

[@ferchoferefb]

Hola probaste hacer un lente de fresnel?? Muy buen video!!! Ya me suscribí a tu canal

[@Pedr0Eugenio]

Awesome project!! It is an application that not even cross my mind! Keep the good work, you gained a new subscriber with this video! ;)

[@r3g273]

This is amazing, think of all the things you could make. - VR headset - Camera phone lenses (3d print a moment lens adaptor) - telescope or binoculars - Glasses

[@leonbrauns]

At least one of those things is definitely on my to-do list ;)

[@GrimmChristopher]

WMR Headset transformation from cheap fresnel lense to a proper one 😋

[@nickldominator]

@@GrimmChristopher Was thinking the exact same thing. Replacing those lenses to properly made ones designed specifically for the WMR headsets would be pretty huge. Clarity benefit from the Gear VR lenses but without any of the weird distortion :)

[@intelligenceservices]

in theory would it not be possible to use a slower gear-reduced CNC spindle with a polishing attachment with the proper grit and lubrication in order to polish the lens?

[@my_temporary_name]

Nicely done! How about a lens that produces a more complex picture? Also, if you made larger lenses you could make a solar oven.

[@TheRainHarvester]

temporary_name you could imprint a photo that gets projected onto a wall!

[@axeljimenez123]

Amazing! I also will wait for part 2. Thanks,

[@GiannisKoutsis]

Nice job. Can i ask you what mill bits are you using? Thank you in advance.

[@GiannisKoutsis]

Yeah sorry i did not watch the full video. Thank you for sharing the information i wanted in the video.

[@Yorumcu63]

great video

[@MDFRESCUER]

Cool idea.

[@Xraller]

Wow! Looking forward to part two!

[@claudiog.7397]

To remove scratches you may try an hotgun. Cool project.

[@Bigman74066]

Could you make fresnell lenses with this CNC?

[@jcbacol]

yo tambien los he hecho con ruteadora y acrilico, pero no me queda bien la pulida y tampoco la curva. los he hecho para ver si hago un lente divergente de 105mm para un telescopio y con angulo de 25 grados... pero me falta mejorar. saludos.

[@Lardzor]

Instead of sanding, could you use acetone, or perhaps an acid bath?

[@beaconofwierd1883]

You can make copies of them by resin casting :) This also works for anyone with just a 3D printer, print your lens in a plastic that’s easily smoothable (like ABS) or get busy sanding PLA (you could also add some filler like laquer or epoxy). Make a mold with silicone and now you have an infinite supply of that lens :) You could also make a mold directly using air to indent the surface in the silicone mold, but then you have very little control over the exact shape of the lens, though it would produce ”perfectly” smooth lenses.

[@musthycmbs20]

Hi Im still printing your files and hope to be succeed on building your version.Which type of spindle or tool do you suggest ?Thanks a lot!

[@Raja53221]

Great CNC but aspherical lens for telescope how to made possible

[@theinternal]

Nice job! Thank you for sharing. :)

[@RSmith-ld9ct]

Seriously cool.

[@wedding_photography]

Can you make a lens large enough to melt steel with sunlight?

[@Culturedropout]

That's pretty cool!

[@ChunkySteveo]

Amazing work! Makes me want to build a MPCNC even more now! How have you found the CNC router since building it?

[@diip-mfg]

uhhh.... you should run lube on the cnc when it is about to get close to the size specs... eliminate the polishing step by a majority..

[@peterciurea7771]

have u tried flame polish?

[@nighthawk2k3rsx]

Would flame polishing help with the fine scratches?

[@rcrazee5077]

it will have some cracking inside. Better sand it with 2k to 3k sandpaper grit and use metal polish, works better for me. Sometimes i use carnauba liquid wax. This is based on my experience polishing my acrylics.

[@unlocker92]

last time i use meguiar plastx it really work well with polishing acrylic

[@rcrazee5077]

@@unlocker92 the problem to some. Those are not actually available locally, so we are giving some alternatives to what will work out from those materials readily available. Cheers!!!

[@avejst]

Great video Thanks for sharing :-)

[@xXNoMoralzXx]

Make sure you spend time on each grit moving higher and higher for finest optical clarity and flawless surfacing.

[@shakyakinlay7096]

Gute arbeit!

[@spiritcore1]

Very cool! I wonder if you can make you own glasses with CNC :)

[@TheRainHarvester]

spiritcore1 that would be a game changer for 3rd world!

[@spiritcore1]

@@TheRainHarvester I believe that companies who make glasses can mass produce those lenses so it'll be cheaper but the fact that you can have CNC and 3D printer in small 3rd world town and make lenses for the people there is amazing. You cut the costs for shipping etc.

[@slimag]

amazing!! I guess it would not be possible to cnc fresnell lens? (at least this way)

[@leonbrauns]

I think the geometry of a fresnel lens is too complicated to be made this way.

[@ghlscitel6714]

Dont forget to anneal the acrylic in your stove. Otherwise, with time, the acrylic surfaces will crackle due to matrial internal tensions introduced by machining and polishing Acrylic light guides are used in high energy physics in quantities for particle detectors. They developed sophisticated annealing procedures

[@BrightBlueJim]

Just short of making light pipes for particle accelerators, what is the slightly less sophisticated procedure for annealing acrylic?

[@ghlscitel6714]

@@BrightBlueJim ,well, keep the objects in your stove - a stove with internal blower and tight temperature control of +/- 1°C - at around 80 deg C and leave them in there at least for 2 hours. If the acrylic is thicker than 3 mm in any area, the tempering period must be 20 minutes more for each additional mm, i.e. a 10 mm acrylic block requires tempering of 2 hours plus 7*20=140min=2hours20min which in total is 2 hours and 20 minutes. After tempering slowly reduce the stove temperature by 10 °C each 20 minutes until you reach 40 °C. Then shut off the stove, take out your parts on a table and let them cool to room temperature. This will take most of the tensions out of the material, also the glued parts.

[@BrightBlueJim]

@@ghlscitel6714 Thank you for the information. This is very useful.

[@GrimmChristopher]

That's freaking ingenious. How long does it take for you to sand one lens?

[@leonbrauns]

Thanks! It took roughly 15-30 minutes depending on the size of the lens.

[@GrimmChristopher]

@@leonbrauns Do you feel, that it can be accelerated with a heatgun or machine polishing?

[@leonbrauns]

I am definitely going to try out flame polishing as well as using machines for sanding and will report the results.

[@neatt3815]

What router was used? :O

[@87osvald]

Whats the name of the cnc used?

[@jeremyacton4569]

Please can you make a Fresnel lens?

[@niguskassa2337]

Pleas tell how it made the glass 🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹

[@electrotechcr2510]

Hey bro Can you sell thi lenses ? I need this lenses Plz

[@beamingkitty2366]

Wahnsinn! Good Job!

[@ameliabuns4058]

if only i had the cad for my vr headset i could get a new pair! tho those use very complicated lenses apparently (Fresnel)

[@dawlishbenson7531]

amazing job!

[@singlefonts8778]

Polishing with a flame is also an option

[@vasiliyivanovich7609]

это же круто чувак! можно сделать огромную наборную линзу . если вырезать её по частям и склеить.

[@Max.Thruster]

Great video!

[@wingvan]

a german genius :-)

[@santiagofernandezpello]

Wow! this is amazing

[@joeblow7374]

Other than for educational purposes, what sense in making your own lenses? Where can you use them?

[@andy-in-indy]

DIY Laser Tag

[@joeblow7374]

@@andy-in-indy Wouldn't it be easier to get ready made lenses? Which, I assume, would be of better quality. Can you make prisms this way?

[@andy-in-indy]

Ready made lenses tend to fall into two categories: very cheap cast lenses or very expensive ground lenses. The optical quality of these lenses, especially with some better polishing, is much better than the cheap cast lenses you will find in toys, and much less than the cost of glass lenses treated to pass Infrared (TL;DR glass does not like to pass IR, but acrylic does. That makes these a lot cheaper).

[@joeblow7374]

@@andy-in-indy I see. Thanks a lot for answering. Learned some useful stuff. I assume that optical prisms could be made this too, couldn't they?

[@leonbrauns]

I just made a prism from some leftover material and after sanding and polishing it works a treat.

[@cthulpiss]

Would it be possible to make custom Fresnel lens with this process?

[@leonbrauns]

I doubt it is possible to make a fresnel lens with a CNC router. You would need a tiny end mill and sanding would be a nightmare.

[@klave8511]

Would it be possible to polish the lenses with the CNC router?

[@leonbrauns]

In theory it should be possible. However you really want to use flood cooling for that, which isn’t possible with my machine.

[@HeimoVN]

impressive I have to say...