Open-source 3D-printable optics equipment

• Published in: PloS one 2013-03, Vol.8 (3), p.e59840-e59840
• Main Authors: Zhang, Chenlong, Anzalone, Nicholas C, Faria, Rodrigo P, Pearce, Joshua M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-D printers; CAD; Computer aided design; Computer engineering; Computer Science; Computer-Aided Design - economics; Computer-Aided Design - instrumentation; Costs and Cost Analysis; Engineering; Engineering Sciences; Equipment costs; Experimentation; Hardware; Internet; Laboratories; Magnetics; Manufacturing; Materials science; Mechanical components; Medicine; Nanotechnology; Open source software; Optical equipment; Optics; Optics and Photonics - economics; Optics and Photonics - instrumentation; Photonic; Physics; Printers; Printing - economics; Printing - instrumentation; Prototyping; R&D; Research & development; Science education; Science Policy; Source code; Sustainability; Teaching methods; Thermodynamics; Three dimensional printing
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059840

Just as the power of the open-source design paradigm has driven down the cost of software to the point that it is accessible to most people, the rise of open-source hardware is poised to drive down the cost of doing experimental science to expand access to everyone. To assist in this aim, this paper introduces a library of open-source 3-D-printable optics components. This library operates as a flexible, low-cost public-domain tool set for developing both research and teaching optics hardware. First, the use of parametric open-source designs using an open-source computer aided design package is described to customize the optics hardware for any application. Second, details are provided on the use of open-source 3-D printers (additive layer manufacturing) to fabricate the primary mechanical components, which are then combined to construct complex optics-related devices. Third, the use of the open-source electronics prototyping platform are illustrated as control for optical experimental apparatuses. This study demonstrates an open-source optical library, which significantly reduces the costs associated with much optical equipment, while also enabling relatively easily adapted customizable designs. The cost reductions in general are over 97%, with some components representing only 1% of the current commercial investment for optical products of similar function. The results of this study make its clear that this method of scientific hardware development enables a much broader audience to participate in optical experimentation both as research and teaching platforms than previous proprietary methods.