Recently, the Belgian business newspaper De Tijd reported that Meta has acquired Luxexcel, a 3D printing spectacle lens company. Founded in 2009, the company is headquartered in the Netherlands and has a research and development center in Belgium.
Luxexcel is focused on 3D printing technology for complex spectacle lenses, mainly for vision correction and encapsulating waveguides. Its proprietary resin 3D printing process can create optically clear eyeglass lenses, LCD screens, waveguides, lenses with augmented reality (AR) integrated projection areas, integrated electronic lenses that can be placed during printing, prescription lenses, belt integrated Lenses, bifocal lenses and armatures for LCD film.
At the same time, the spokesperson of Meta also confirmed the news and said: "We are very pleased that the Luxexcel team has joined Meta, which expands the cooperative relationship between the two companies." Previously, Luxexcel has cooperated with many well-known waveguide manufacturers, Including Lumus and WaveOptics. Meta is also rumored to be collaborating on Project Aria with Luxexcel, which provided the lenses for the sensor glasses developed as part of the research project.
Luxexcel reportedly brought in less than $3 million in revenue, but it's clear Meta is bullish on the company's technology, such as its ability to mass-customize lenses, including those with integrated screens, LCDs, and other electronics. By acquiring Luxexcel, Meta can make mass-customized glasses for its AR platform, which makes the deal worthwhile.
At present, smart glasses with VR or AR functions are often bulky and cannot meet the vision correction needs of glasses wearers at the same time. The emergence of Luxexcel just solves this problem. By manufacturing lenses with embedded smart functions, Meta can now develop prescription AR or VR devices that are lighter, more stylish, and do not require additional glasses, increasing the comfort of the wearer.
In addition, the company can also integrate projection areas into the glasses and place chips, waveguides, and batteries inside the glass during production, which will help Meta produce more comfortable glasses for its Metaverse games.
Meta looks for AR technology
According to rumors, Meta hopes to launch the first mass-market AR glasses in 2026. Luxexcel can supply the corrective lenses required for this, which may be more cost-effective than other solutions if produced in large quantities.
All of this means it could be a very smart acquisition for Meta. Although the specific amount of the acquisition was not disclosed, De Tijd also pointed out that Meta has shown great sincerity to promote this transaction and will pay a high price.