(Image: Ditto)
Additive manufacturing leader Materialise has announced a strategic investment in Ditto, a developer of virtual eyewear try-on platforms, to create an “end-to-end digital platform for the eyewear industry.”
The partnership will see the companies pool together their AI-based personalisation, AR visualisation and 3D printing expertise to deliver personalised eyewear retail experiences featuring custom frame recommendations, virtual try-on solutions and the option to 3D print the frames. Materialise is said to be sharing more details about the transaction during its Q3 earnings call.
“Our collaboration with Materialise will help us deliver on our goal of making eyewear more personal. The shift towards eCommerce, digitally enabled smart stores, and digital manufacturing is inevitable,” says Kate Doerksen, Ditto’s CEO and Cofounder. “We are excited to bring combined solutions to our clients to create a differentiated, personalised customer experience and product offering.”
Working with brands and retail partners, Ditto’s platform captures a precise map of each customer’s face to make recommendations based on fit and style preferences, and provides a clear visualisation of how the frame will look on the wearer. As part of this “end-to-end” workflow, the frames can then be manufactured with 3D printing by Materialise.
“3D printing holds the potential to transform industries by making it possible to create unique designs, manufacture in small batches and offer levels of personalisation never seen before. With three decades of 3D printing experience, Materialise is ideally positioned to drive these industry transformations,” says Alireza Parandian, Global head of business strategy for wearables at Materialise. “Our collaboration with Ditto confirms our commitment to create an end-to-end digital platform for the eyewear industry.”
Materialise has already worked with a number of brands in the eyewear industry including HOYA Vision Care, which co-developed the Yuniku eyewear solution, the world’s first vision-centric eyewear based on a fully digital supply chain. The platform uses 3D scanning, parametrisation and process automation in combination with HOYA’s lens positioning deliver bespoke 3D printed frames.
