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Luxexcel

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Luxexcel
Information
Industry 3D printing, ophthalmic lenses, smart eyewear
Founded 2009
Founder Richard van de Vrie
Headquarters Eindhoven, Netherlands (R&D and operations in Turnhout, Belgium)
Notable Personnel Richard van de Vrie (founder), Fabio Esposito (CEO from 2018), Guido Groet (chief strategy officer)
Products Printoptical Technology, VisionPlatform
Parent Meta Platforms (from 2022)
Website luxexcel.com (archived)


Luxexcel is a Belgian-Dutch company that developed a 3D printing process for optical lenses and later used it to make prescription lenses for smart glasses. It was founded in 2009 by Richard van de Vrie. By 2020 it was headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, with research, development and operations in Turnhout, Belgium, and a sales and service office in Alpharetta, Georgia.[1][2] The company first printed optics for LED lighting and other industries, moved to prescription eyeglass lenses in 2016, and from 2020 marketed its VisionPlatform printers as a way to embed waveguides and other display components inside prescription lenses for augmented reality (AR) glasses.[1][3]

Meta Platforms acquired Luxexcel at the end of 2022. The terms were not disclosed, and Meta said the deal deepened an existing partnership between the two companies.[4][5]

Reviewed 13 October 2026. Checked every date, funding figure, executive name, quote, VisionPlatform 7 and Lumus/WaveOptics demonstrator spec and the Meta acquisition reporting against the cited archived Luxexcel releases and press articles. About review dates.

History

Printoptical Technology (2009-2015)

According to the company, Luxexcel was founded in 2009 and printed lenses for the illumination industry, as well as for automotive, industrial optics and aerospace customers.[1] Its process, which it called Printoptical Technology, used dedicated printers that jet droplets of a UV-curable acrylic ink and let them flow and merge before curing. The company said this avoided the visible layers of other 3D printing methods, so that transparent parts came out smooth without grinding or polishing.[6] Luxexcel lists 2012 as the year it filed its key technology patents and printed its first functional pair of glasses.[1] In 2013 it presented a pair of 3D-printed spectacles to the Dutch King, Willem-Alexander.[7]

The company started out in the Dutch province of Zeeland and later moved to Eindhoven, with operations in Turnhout, Belgium.[7] In July 2015, when it was based in Kruiningen, it announced a 7.5 million euro Series B round led by the Flemish investment company PMV, with the existing investors SET Ventures and Munich Venture Partners. The round brought its total venture funding to 17.5 million euros. At the time it had 25 employees, Eric Tierie was CEO and van de Vrie was president.[2][8]

Prescription lenses and first AR work (2016-2019)

Luxexcel turned to 3D printing prescription lenses for the eyewear market in 2016. It describes itself as the first commercial company to 3D print prescription lenses, in 2017, and says its lenses passed ISO, ANSI and FDA quality standards in 2019.[1] Its VisionPlatform combined industrial 3D printers, lens material, lens-design software and workflow tools for ophthalmic labs, and the company said it printed lenses without polishing.[9] According to its chief strategy officer, it shipped the first platforms to customers in 2017.[10]

Funding in 2017 was aimed partly at AR and virtual reality. In May 2017 SET Ventures, Munich Venture Partners, PMV and KLA-Tencor put 8.5 million euros into the company's ophthalmic business. In September 2017 the venture fund Innovation Industries added 4 million euros, which Luxexcel said would extend the platform to prescription lenses for smart glasses and AR/VR headsets. Hans Streng was CEO at the time.[11][12]

On 4 January 2018 Luxexcel announced that it would supply 3D-printed prescription inserts for the Vuzix Blade AR glasses made by Vuzix; the inserts were to be introduced with the Blade at CES 2018. Streng said that "60% of the US population needs eye correction" and called Vuzix "the early adopter of 3D printed ophthalmic lens inserts".[13][14]

In September 2018 Fabio Esposito, formerly president and CEO of the wax 3D printer maker Solidscape, replaced Streng as CEO. The company also raised a 13.9 million US dollar Series C round led by Innovation Industries, with SET Ventures, Munich Venture Partners, PMV and KLA-Tencor taking part, to expand production of lenses for smart prescription glasses.[15]

Smart eyewear focus (2020-2022)

Luxexcel dates its entry into the smart eyewear market to 2020.[1] In December 2020 it said its VisionPlatforms in the US and Europe had printed more than 50,000 lenses for customers in traditional eyewear, smart eyewear and high-tech industries.[16] The company told Optometry Today in 2021 that it did not plan to make smart glasses itself; it meant to supply technology, tools and software to consumer electronics companies.[7]

On 10 February 2021 Luxexcel and WaveOptics showed a module that combined a 3D-printed prescription lens, a waveguide and a projector.[17] VisionPlatform 7, aimed at manufacturers of prescription smart lenses, followed on 14 July 2021.[3] In September 2021 the Swiss lens maker Optiswiss agreed to install VisionPlatform 7 at its plant in Basel and print prescription lenses for smart eyewear customers.[18] At SPIE Photonics West in January 2022, VisionPlatform 7 won the SPIE Prism Award in the augmented and virtual reality category.[19] In March 2022 it announced a second demonstrator, developed with Lumus and built around a reflective waveguide.[20]

Acquisition by Meta

The Belgian newspaper De Tijd reported the acquisition by Meta at the end of December 2022, and Meta confirmed it to the press. A Meta spokesperson said: "We're excited that the Luxexcel team has joined Meta, deepening the existing partnership between the two companies."[4][5] Meta did not disclose the price. UploadVR relayed De Tijd's report that "Meta would have paid a hefty price", and The Brussels Times noted that the Flemish investment body PMV had invested heavily in the company.[5][21] Lincoln International lists the sellers as Innovation Industries, Munich Venture Partners, PMV and SET Ventures.[22]

Several outlets repeated a rumor that the two companies had already worked together on lenses for Project Aria, Meta's sensor-glasses research project.[4][23][24] Coverage linked the purchase to Meta's plans for prescription AR glasses.[25][23] MIXED also quoted the AR display analyst Karl Guttag, who argued that large companies buying up young AR technology firms was likely to slow the market's long-term development.[23]

In January 2024 Leia Inc. appointed Esposito as its CEO. Its announcement said that after Luxexcel he had worked at Meta Reality Labs on operations and integration.[26]

Products

VisionPlatform

VisionPlatform was Luxexcel's turnkey system for printing lenses. It combined 3D printers, proprietary lens materials and software, and the company said it replaced more than 30 process steps of conventional lens making.[27] According to Luxexcel, VisionPlatform 7 (2021) could:[3]

Capability Luxexcel's description
Embedded objects Waveguides, holographic optical elements and liquid crystal foils placed in the lens during printing
Lens sizes Diameters from 65 mm to below 1 mm, in high and low powers
Printed features Air gaps needed by waveguides, micro lenses, and a printed hardcoat applied at low temperature
Lens designs Single vision, multifocal progressive and free-form lenses, and prisms
Coatings High-temperature materials so that anti-reflective and hydrophobic coatings can be applied in existing ophthalmic post-processing steps

The company said the platform printed these features without birefringence.[3]

XR work

Prescription inserts

Luxexcel presented the 2018 Vuzix Blade deal as its entry into the AR/VR segment, with printed prescription inserts for wearers who need vision correction.[13] Its later press materials argued that more than 75 percent of the adult world population needs prescription lenses, and that smart glasses would have to address this to reach consumers.[3]

WaveOptics module

The February 2021 module with WaveOptics encapsulated a flat Katana waveguide inside the curved body of a 3D-printed prescription lens. An air gap formed during printing kept the waveguide working, and the printed structure also held the projector in alignment. The companies planned to show it at the SPIE AR, VR, MR conference in March 2021 and offer prototype samples to customers in the second quarter of 2021.[17] WaveOptics chief technology officer Phil Greenhalgh said the partnership addressed "how to address prescription accommodation and delivering a robust waveguide in a form factor that can go into a consumer product".[17] WaveOptics was later acquired by Snap Inc.[24]

Lumus demonstrator

The March 2022 demonstrator with Lumus embedded a Lumus Maximus reflective waveguide in a 3D-printed prescription lens. The companies gave the waveguide's specifications as a 50 degree field of view, 2Kx2K resolution, a 12x12 mm eyebox and more than 4,000 nit/WLED of brightness, and planned to show the module at SPIE AR VR MR.[20][28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "About Luxexcel: 3d printing lenses for smart glasses". Luxexcel. 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200814074515/https://www.luxexcel.com/about-luxexcel/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "LUXeXceL tops up venture round". optics.org. 2015-07-20. https://optics.org/news/luxexcel-tops-up-venture-round. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Luxexcel launches platform for manufacturing of prescription lenses for smartglasses". Luxexcel. 2021-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20210714132719/https://www.luxexcel.com/luxexcel-launches-platform-for-manufacturing-of-prescription-lenses-for-smartglasses/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Amanda Silberling (2022-12-30). "Meta acquires Luxexcel, a smart eyewear company". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2022/12/30/meta-acquires-luxexcel-a-smart-eyewear-company/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Henry Stockdale (2022-12-29). "Meta Acquires 3D Lenses Developer Luxexcel". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/meta-luxexcel-acquisition/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  6. ↑ "LUXeXceL Printoptical Technology: transparent 3D printing". Luxexcel. 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150212005856/http://www.luxexcel.com/3d-printing/luxexcel-printoptical-technology-transparent-3d-printing/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Kimberley Young (2021-07-13). "Pushing smart eyewear forwards". Optometry Today. Association of Optometrists. https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/features/2021/07/13/pushing-smart-eyewear-forwards. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  8. ↑ "Luxexcel Set for Growth with €7.5 million series B- round". Luxexcel. 2015-07-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20160222095833/http://blog.luxexcel.com/news/luxexcel-set-for-growth-with-e7-5-million-series-b-round/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  9. ↑ "Investor Relations: Luxexcel welcomes inquiries from partners". Luxexcel. 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200814081028/https://www.luxexcel.com/about-luxexcel/corporate/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  10. ↑ Guido Groet (2021-04-26). "How Luxexcel reached a major milestone in smart eyewear". Luxexcel. https://web.archive.org/web/20210511000605/https://www.luxexcel.com/how-luxexcel-reached-major-milestone-in-smart-eyewear/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  11. ↑ "Luxexcel lands VC cash for prescription virtual reality eyewear". optics.org. 2017-10-02. https://optics.org/news/luxexcel-lands-vc-cash-for-prescription-virtual-reality-eyewear. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  12. ↑ "Luxexcel receives 4M EUR equity investment to accelerate its program for AR/VR eyewear". Luxexcel. 2017-09-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171002110600/http://blog.luxexcel.com/luxexcel-receives-4meur-equity-investment-to-accelerate-its-program-for-ar/vr-eyewear. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Victor Anusci (2018-01-04). "Luxexcel partners with Vuzix to provide 3D printed prescription lenses for AR headsets". VoxelMatters. https://www.voxelmatters.com/luxexcel-partners-vuzix-provide-3d-printed-prescription-lenses-ar-headsets/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  14. ↑ "Luxexcel partners with Vuzix to provide 3D printed prescription lenses for AR headsets". Luxexcel. 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180106230917/http://blog.luxexcel.com/luxexcel-partners-with-vuzix-to-provide-3d-printed-prescription-lenses-for-ar-headsets. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  15. ↑ Tess Boissonneault (2018-09-24). "Luxexcel moves into next phase with new CEO Fabio Esposito and $13.9M investment". VoxelMatters. https://www.voxelmatters.com/luxexcel-ceo-fabio-esposito/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  16. ↑ "Luxexcel reaches next milestone in volume manufacturing". Luxexcel. 2020-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20201205202519/https://www.luxexcel.com/press-release-next-milestone-in-volume-manufacturing/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "WaveOptics and Luxexcel demonstrate prescription eyewear for Augmented Reality smartglasses". Luxexcel. 2021-02-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20210210140146/https://www.luxexcel.com/waveoptics-and-luxexcel-demonstrate-prescription-eyewear-for-ar-smartglasses/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  18. ↑ "Optiswiss and Luxexcel announce cooperation for 3D printed smart eyewear". Luxexcel. 2021-09-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20210908222646/https://www.luxexcel.com/optiswiss-luxexcel-announce-cooperation-for-3d-printed-smart-eyewear/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  19. ↑ "Luxexcel wins Prism Award 2022 Augmented and Virtual Reality". Luxexcel. 2022-01-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20220526204858/https://www.luxexcel.com/luxexcel-wins-prism-award-2022-augmented-and-virtual-reality/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Lumus and Luxexcel demonstrate reflective waveguide embedded in a prescription lens demonstrator". Luxexcel. 2022-03-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20220316155639/https://www.luxexcel.com/lumus-and-luxexcel-demonstrate-reflective-waveguide-embedded-in-a-prescription-lens-demonstrator/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  21. ↑ The Brussels Times Newsroom (2022-12-28). "Facebook parent Meta buys Belgian-Dutch company Luxexcel". The Brussels Times. https://www.brusselstimes.com/343692/facebook-parent-meta-buys-belgian-dutch-company-luxexcel. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  22. ↑ "Innovation Industries, Munich Venture Partners, PMV and SET Ventures have sold Luxexcel to Meta Platforms". Lincoln International. 2022. https://www.lincolninternational.com/transactions/innovation-industries-munich-venture-partners-pmv-and-set-ventures-have-sold-luxexcel-to-meta-platforms/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2022-12-29). "Meta acquires optics company Luxexcel, another building block for the AR future". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/meta-acquires-optics-company-luxexcel/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Meta Acquires 3D Lens Printing Firm Luxexcel to Bolster Future AR Glasses". Road to VR. 2022-12-30. https://roadtovr.com/meta-acquires-ar-glasses-luxexcel/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  25. ↑ Rich Pell (2023-01-02). "Meta acquires 3D lens printing company". eeNews Europe. https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/meta-acquires-3d-lens-printing-company. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  26. ↑ "Leia Inc. Announces Fabio Esposito as Chief Executive Officer". EIN Presswire. Leia Inc.. 2024-01-17. https://www.einpresswire.com/article/681659650/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  27. ↑ "A Turnkey Product to 3D Print Custom Ophthalmic Lenses". Luxexcel. 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200814084414/https://www.luxexcel.com/the-luxexcel-technology/luxexcel-visionplatform/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  28. ↑ Andrea Gambini (2022-03-16). "Lumus and Luxexcel demonstrate reflective waveguide in a prescription lens demonstrator". VoxelMatters. https://www.voxelmatters.com/lumus-and-luxexcel-demonstrate-reflective-waveguide-in-a-prescription-lens-demonstrator/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
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