The library is composed of a broad selection of optical components ubiquitous in any optics experiment such as a lens holder, a screen/filter holder, a lab jack, a fiber optic holder, a kinematic mirror/lens mount, a parametric open-source chopper wheel, among others. A library of opto-mechanical components built from standard low-cost parts and 3D printed components aimed at providing a flexible and cost-effective alternative to current commercial alternatives. Moreover, the new 3D printed components can be considered as prototypes, and thus other manufacturers can take these ideas to build better equipment or improve their own products.Ī nice example to illustrate this is the Open-Source Optics Library. Indeed this evolution process turns out to be a creative way to engage young researchers in photonics. Thanks to the fact that the fabrication time is minimal, the characteristics and quality of the components can evolve very fast in the hands of researchers.

Researchers are no longer constrained to work with commercially available products and therefore their experimental setups can be made more versatile. The implementation of opto-mechanical components using 3D printing technology is having a direct impact on the photonics community. Fortunately, scientific research is one of them. However, we are currently in a stage of development where the use of 3D printing is advantageous over other manufacturing technologies only in rare scenarios. For many authors, we are living the time of a third industrial revolution. Nowadays is not uncommon to find headlines in the media where it is stated that 3D printing is a technology called to change our lives in the near future.

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