Paloceras moves DLP-printed photopolymer sunglasses into serial production at Helsinki MicroFactory

Finnish eyewear brand Paloceras has begun serial production of its Nexoris sunglasses using Digital Light Processing (DLP) on a Genera-G1 system at its MicroFactory in Helsinki. The frames are printed from a photopolymer resin originally developed for dental and surgical applications, then smoothed and hand-assembled to achieve a surface finish that mimics traditional acetate. The design, inspired by amphibian anatomy, was developed with eyewear technologist Paris Koutsavelis. Paloceras Design Director Alexis Perron-Corriveau described the process as starting from creature anatomy rather than conventional frame geometry.

This case demonstrates how DLP printing can bridge experimental design and wearable production in the eyewear vertical, a segment where AM adoption has been limited mostly to prototyping and low-volume custom frames. The use of a medical-grade photopolymer resin, adapted from dental and surgical applications, points to a cross-sector material pull-through that lowers qualification risk for consumer goods. Paloceras’s approach also highlights the importance of post-processing - smoothing, assembly, and surface finishing remain essential to achieving the acetate-like feel that consumers expect. The company’s MicroFactory model, with in-house DLP production and manual finishing, keeps the value chain short and design-driven, but also caps scalability unless the post-processing step is automated.

For the eyewear industry, the Nexoris launch is a concrete example of DLP’s ability to produce complex, organic geometries that cannot be machined or injection-molded. The practical challenge for Paloceras will be maintaining surface quality and throughput as volumes grow, since the current workflow relies on hand finishing. Buyers evaluating AM for eyewear should note that the material and post-processing chain, not just the printer, determines whether the final product meets consumer-grade expectations.