How 3D Printing Is Speeding Up Small Businesses

Since David Friedfeld took over ClearVision Optical from his father in 1985, he’s seen most eyewear manufacturing move overseas. The 120-employee company, based in Hauppauge, N.Y., is bringing a small piece of it back. Last year, Friedfeld purchased an entry-level 3D printer for just under $3,000. He still does the bulk of his manufacturing abroad, but he can now print eyeglass prototypes in-house.

The device "has taken three months off our production cycle [and] allowed us to stay closer to the market," he says. "We are able to get far more creative." He’s so bullish on 3D printing that he’s planning a design-it-yourself website that will allow customers to build their own frames, try them on with facial recognition software, and then click to have ClearVision print and ship them a few trial pairs.

By Karen E. Klein

Full Story: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-07-10/how-small-businesses-use-3-d-printing-to-create-prototypes-faster#r=hpt-ls