Additively manufactured false eyelashes

Abstract

Provided herein are false eyelashes and systems and methods for manufacturing false eyelashes using 3D printing. A 3D printed eyelash assembly may include a plurality of fibers braced together via intersections, wherein ends of at least a subset of the plurality of fibers extend a virtual base curve configured to fit into the natural shape of a human eye lash line. Various features of eyelashes may be represented in 3D modeling that possess characteristics of natural eyelashes and can be printed in high resolution with precision and accuracy.

Description

[0001] ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED FALSE EYELASHES

[0002] NOTICE OF MATERIAL SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

[0003] Portions of the material in this patent document are subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and of other countries. The owner of the copyright rights has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the United States Patent and Trademark Office publicly available file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The copyright owner does not hereby waive any of its rights to have this patent document maintained in secrecy, including without limitation its rights pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § E14.

[0004] RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0005] This application claims priority to and the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 553,310 filed on February 14, 2024, entitled “ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED FALSE EYELASHES,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] Current methods of manufacturing false eyelashes are highly labor-intensive. Existing manufacturing lines have little to no automation and are dependent on the skill of technicians assembling lashes manually. The process can have anywhere from 10 to 20 touchpoints. The typical process of making a lash involves (a) sorting and taping down fibers according to a 2D template where each fiber is secured onto the strip by tying a knot; (b) rolling the taping down the fiber around a metal pin where the pin is placed into an oven to fix the shape of the fiber; (c) unrolling and trimming the fibers into segments; and (d) individually placing the segments into packaging. Other techniques include using heat as an assembly method, in lieu of tying and gluing. The method uses heat to melt polymer lashes and cause them to join together at the ends. The aforementioned steps involve the manipulation of thin fiber and can only be handled by skilled labor, which present several challenges. First, it requires a large number of highly trained technicians to assemble lashes. Second, manual assembly of lashes is prone to error. It takes a significant amount of time to train technicians, and human error often leads to defective products. Third, complex designs are typically deferred due to increased time for assembly by hand. And since curvature of lashes is dependent on the pin it is rolled onto, each design has a limited variation in curvature.

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] Described herein are both superior false eyelashes (e.g., that have consistently high quality, improved adhesion to the eyelid, improved aesthetic design, etc.) and substantially improved methods for manufacturing false eyelashes. The lashes can be designed and represented in a digital model that can be used to control a 3D printer. In some aspects, a 3D printed eyelash assembly may include a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length. The plurality of fibers may be braced together via intersections, wherein ends of at least a subset of the plurality of fibers extend to a virtual base curve configured to fit into a natural shape of a human eye lash line.

[0010] In some embodiments, the intersections may each include an intersection point, at which at least a first fiber and a second fiber pass, wherein an offset distance between the first fiber and the second fiber at the intersection point is smaller than a sum of a radius of the first fiber and a radius of the second fiber. Both the first fiber and the second fiber may extend from the virtual base curve. The first fiber may extend from the virtual base curve and the second fiber may extend from the first fiber at the intersection point, wherein the intersection point is located at a mid-point of the first fiber. Two or more fibers of the plurality of fibers may be oriented in a parallel manner such that ends of the two or more fibers intersect at the virtual base curve.

[0011] In some embodiments, the 3D printed eyelash assembly may further include a build platform and a support structure connecting the plurality of fibers to the build platform. The support structure may include: a first structure connecting the build platform to first ends of the plurality of fibers, the first ends comprising tips of the plurality of fibers; and a second structure connecting the build platform to second ends of the plurality of fibers opposite the first ends, the second ends forming the virtual base curve. The first structure may include a plurality of pillars connecting to the tips of the plurality of fibers respectively at a plurality of contact areas each having a size smaller than a diameter of a corresponding pillar of the plurality of pillars and larger than a diameter of a corresponding tip of the tips of the plurality of fibers. A physical base curve may be included in place of the virtual base curve, wherein the physical base curve connects to the second ends of the plurality of fibers and the second structure. Each of the first structure and the second structure may include a scaffold structure. The 3D printed eyelash assembly may include an additional plurality of fibers and an additional support structure, wherein the additional support structure connects the build platform to the additional plurality of fibers.

[0012] In some aspects, a system for continuous 3D printing of a plurality of eyelash assemblies includes a 3D printer and at least one processor configured to control the 3D printer to print one or more eyelash assemblies. The 3D printer may include (i) a reservoir of photo-curable resin, (ii) a conveyor configured to convey a substrate through the reservoir of photo-curable resin, and (iii) a projector configured to project radiation at a surface of the photo-curable resin. The one or more eyelash assemblies may each have a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length. The plurality of fibers may be braced together via intersections, wherein ends of at least a subset of the plurality of fibers extend to a virtual base curve configured to fit into a natural shape of a human eye lash line.

[0013] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer readable media includes a 3D model file representing an eyelash assembly for printing and further containing one or more data blocks that represent one or more eyelash assemblies. The one or more eyelash assemblies may each have a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length. The plurality of fibers may be braced together via intersections, wherein ends of at least a subset of the plurality of fibers extend to a virtual base curve configured to fit into a natural shape of a human eye lash line.

[0014] In some aspects, a 3D printed eyelash packaging includes a plurality of eyelash assemblies disposed on a substrate. Each eyelash assembly includes: a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length; and a respective support structure connecting the eyelash assembly to the substrate. In some embodiments, for each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the respective support structure may include: a first structure connecting the substrate to first ends of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly, the first ends comprising tips of the plurality of fibers; and a second structure connecting the substrate to second ends of the plurality of fibers opposite the first ends. For each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the first structure may include a plurality of pillars connecting to the tips of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly respectively at a plurality of contact areas each having a size smaller than a diameter of a corresponding pillar of the plurality of pillars and larger than a diameter of a corresponding tip of the tips of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly. Each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies may further comprise a respective base curve from which the second ends of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly extend, the respective base curve configured to fit into a natural shape of a human eye lash line. The first structure and the second structure may each comprise a scaffold structure. For each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the plurality of fibers may be braced together via intersections. The intersections may each include an intersection point, at which at least a first fiber and a second fiber pass, wherein an offset distance between the first fiber and the second fiber at the intersection point is smaller than a sum of a radius of the first fiber and a radius of the second fiber. One or more fibers of the plurality of fibers in an eyelash assembly may be oriented in a parallel manner such that ends of the one or more fibers intersect at a corresponding support structure.

[0015] In some aspects, a system for continuous 3D printing of an eyelash packaging includes a 3D printer and at least one processor configured to control the 3D printer to print one or more eyelash assemblies in the eyelash packaging. The 3D printer may include (i) a reservoir of photo-curable resin, (ii) a conveyor configured to convey a substrate through the reservoir of photo-curable resin, and (iii) a projector configured to project radiation at a surface of the photo-curable resin. The one or more eyelash assemblies in the eyelash packaging may be disposed on a substrate and each include: a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length; and a respective support structure connecting the eyelash assembly to the substrate.

[0016] In some aspects, a non-transitory computer readable media includes a 3D model file representing an eyelash packaging for printing and further containing one or more data blocks that represent one or more eyelash assemblies in the eyelash packaging. The one or more eyelash assemblies in the eyelash packaging may be disposed on a substrate and each include: a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length; and a respective support structure connecting the eyelash assembly to the substrate.

[0017] In some aspects, a system for designing a 3D printable eyelash extension may include a camera configured to take an image of a person’s eye and a computational module configured to use the image to select a shape of an eyelash extension that, when manufactured, will conform to a shape of the person’s eye.

[0018] It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of subject matter within this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein.

[0019] Still other aspects, examples, and advantages of these exemplary aspects and examples, are discussed in detail below. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing information and the following detailed description are merely illustrative examples of various aspects and examples, and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed aspects and examples. Any example or aspect disclosed herein may be combined with any other example or aspect in any manner consistent with at least one of the objects, aims, and needs disclosed herein, and references to “an example,” “some examples,” “an alternate example,” “various examples,” “one example,” “at least one example,” “ this and other examples” or the like are not necessarily mutually exclusive and are intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example may be included in at least one example. The appearances of such terms herein are not necessarily all referring to the same example.

[0020] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 shows an example of a system of the present disclosure for printing false eye lashes from the bottom- up through a transparent window. FIG. 2 shows an example of a system of the present disclosure for printing false eye lashes from the top-down.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows an example of a system of the present disclosure for printing false eye lashes on a pliable substrate.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows an example data representation of a simple fiber according to some embodiments.

[0024] FIGS. 5A-5D show examples of components of eyelashes that may be modeled and printed according to some embodiments.

[0025] FIGS. 6A-6C show examples of various shapes of lashes, according to the present disclosure.

[0026] FIGS. 7A-7C show examples of varied numbers of layers of lashes, according to the present disclosure.

[0027] FIGS. 8A-8C show examples of intersections of fibers in different views, according to the present disclosure.

[0028] FIGS. 9A-9B show examples of different type of base strips, according to the present disclosure.

[0029] FIGS. 10A-10D show examples of support structure in various configurations that may be used in printing lash assemblies, according to the systems and methods described herein.

[0030] FIGS. 11A-11B show connection of lash tips to a support structure, according to some embodiments.

[0031] FIGS. 12A-12B show examples of supporting a printed lash segment on a substrate, according to the systems and methods described herein.

[0032] FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram of an example of continuous printing of one or more lash assemblies, in accordance with some embodiments of printing methods described herein.

[0033] FIG. 14 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a printing system, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Conventional lash manufacturing relies on physical assembly and processing of lash fiber. The lash fibers start out straight in its raw material form. Arrangement and shape of the assembled lashes is dependent on the physical limit of the manufacturing process. For example, existing systems in manufacturing eyelash extensions that can be attached to human natural eyelashes include using heat as an assembly method, by melting polymer lashes together to form clusters of hairs. In this process, clusters of hairs may be joined together only at their ends. As a result of the limitation of the current methods for manufacturing false eyelashes, the articles themselves are inferior and / or limited in design possibilities.

[0035] Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies make it possible to print false eyelashes in 3D. However, existing 3D printing technologies are limited in printing eyelashes because eyelashes often consist of dense, thin and / or delicate fibers having large variations of curvature, diameter, and orientation. Thus, it remains a technical challenge to digitally represent false eyelashes in 3D modeling and efficiently print false eyelashes with minimum human labor.

[0036] Modern 3D printing of eyelashes models eye lashes in 3D spatial relations, thus the structure of a lash is not limited by the steps involved in the traditional processes. This allows printing of multiple fibers in lashes altogether (e.g., segments) on a strip, rather than manufacturing of individual straight raw fibers in the traditional processes. However, existing 3D printing techniques still have limited design possibilities and are not readily available to print lashes in 3D that are natural looking. For example, natural eyelashes have complex structures, in which lashes are non-rigid and have different curvatures, different angles and orientations, or different diameters (or varying diameters along an individual eyelash), which makes it difficult to print with required degrees of accuracy and precision at scale.

[0037] Accordingly, the inventors have developed techniques for 3D printing of eyelashes that include 3D modeling of eyelashes in various designs that enables high-resolution 3D printing of natural looking eyelashes. Various 3D models for various false eyelashes designs may be used by several high-resolution 3D printing technologies such as additive manufacturing technology. Additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing method that utilizes the instrument to manufacture finished “additive” products with complex geometries that can be difficult or impossible to make with other conventional manufacturing methods such as molding (inject and transfer molding, etc.) and subtractive manufacturing (laser cutting and milling, etc.). Additive manufacturing methods can have extensive advantages over conventional methods. First, for example, it allows for manufacturing parts with highly intricate shapes and internal lattice structures. Second, it generates little waste and has high starting material utilization, especially in comparison with subtractive manufacturing such as milling. Third, it enables fast production with little lead time and low tooling cost. This can be especially true compared to molding methods which need to make molds before the desired parts are fabricated using the molds. Fourth, it enables on-demand fabrication of parts in small quantities without having to prepare expensive molds beforehand. It can also allow easy modification based on the fabricated part evaluation and is highly useful for prototyping.

[0038] Additive manufacturing methods can be categorized based on the materials or by technology used. Material selection for printing, includes, but is not limited to, thermoplastic and thermoset polymers, photopolymers (photo-monomers / oligomers to be exact), metals, ceramics, (hydro)gels, paste, sand, composites, etc. Common 3D printing methods include fused deposition modeling (FDM, also known as FFF, fused filament fabrication), digital light processing (DLP), stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), directed energy deposition (DED), direct ink writing (DIW), and binder jetting (BJ).

[0039] Materials for the additive manufacturing can utilize a multitude of polymerization techniques to create 3D articles with desirable material performance properties for end-use applications. These polymerization reactions are typically initiated with UV radiation that is directed at portions of a solution of polymer precursor. Radiation can be directed (e.g., as an image) on the surface of a volume of solution in proximity to a pliable substrate such that a layer of polymer is deposited on the substrate. The substrate can then be moved further into the solution, a thin layer of polymer precursor can flow to cover the first polymer layer, and a second polymerization can be initiated to print a second layer of polymer onto the first layer. This process can be repeated to print a 3D object. DLP and SLA are examples of 3D printing techniques suitable for performing the systems and methods described herein (e.g., because UV light or other radiation can result in articles and supports having fine features). SLA and DLP 3D printers can vary regarding how light is projected onto the UV curable polymer resins. Earlier printers generally use SLA based on a laser system that moves around to cure the targeted area pixel by pixel. DLP, however, can cure a whole layer at one time. DLP 3D printers can use a digital projector screen to flash an image of a layer across the entire platform, curing all points in the same layer simultaneously. The light can be reflected on a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD), which is a dynamic mask comprising microscopic-size mirrors laid out in a matrix on a semiconductor chip. Rapidly toggling these tiny mirrors between the lens(es) that direct the light towards the resin can define the coordinates where the liquid resin cures within the given layer. Because the projector is a digital screen, the image of each layer is composed of square pixels, resulting in a three-dimensional layer formed from small rectangular cubes called voxels. This can enable DLP to become one of the fastest 3D printing techniques. Its other advantages include, but are not limited to, relatively low cost, versatile printing polymer selection, high printing resolution, and ease of operation.

[0040] DLP can have a selection of polymers and composites to print from including acrylates and methacrylate-functional polymers. UV curable formulations used in the DLP additive manufacturing industry can include ethylenically and / or vinyl-functional (i.e., double bond) oligomers and monomers (e.g., acrylates, methacrylates, vinyl ethers, vinyl carbonates), diluents, chain extenders, photo-initiators, and additives. The oligomers and monomers can provide mechanical properties to the final product upon polymerization. Diluents are used to reduce overall formulation viscosity for ease of processing and handling. Diluents can be reactive and can be incorporated into the polymer matrix of the finished article. Photo-initiators can form free radicals upon exposure to actinic radiation (e.g., through photolytic degradation of the photo-initiator molecule). The free radicals can then initiate and propagate with the vinyl moieties of the oligomers and monomers to form vinylbased, crosslinked polymers. Additives can include but are not limited to pigments, dyes, UV absorbers, hindered amine light stabilizers, and fillers. Additives can be used to impart useful properties such as color, shelf stability, improved lifetime performance, higher UV stability, etc. Additive manufacturing has faced several technological challenges, specifically for high-resolution 3D printed microstructures. These challenges include, but are not limited to, slow production speeds, inconsistencies in material development and material properties of 3D printed parts, manual post-processing, limited capabilities in data preparation and design, part-to-part variation, and a lack of digital infrastructure. The support structure strategy described herein for high-resolution 3D printed parts has significantly advanced the field due to improved ability to enhance the printing process and performance of 3D articles. In particular, newfound ability to optimize throughput by nesting operations, support selfintersecting geometries for finer resolution, control resin flow for objects printed using stereolithography, and provide a step-by-step user-designed support removal process to speed up post-production processes.

[0041] The methods described herein can be used with any suitable 3D printing system. The photo-curable resin can be any suitable resin that is capable of polymerization when exposed to radiation (e.g., ultraviolet (UV) radiation). The resin can be part of a formulation that can include a photo-initiator, a UV absorber, a pigment, a diluent, and one or more monomers or oligomers. In some cases, UV radiation interacts with the photo-initiator to start a free -radical mediated polymerization of the monomers and / or oligomers.

[0042] Following polymerization, the printed article can be removed from the vat of photo- curable resin and washed of residual (non-polymerized) resin. Further processing steps can include washing uncured resin, performing additional curing of the printed resin, or performing a secondary polymerization.

[0043] FIGS. 1-3 show suitable systems for 3D printing of false eyelashes. As seen in FIG. 1, printing can be performed from the bottom-up through a transparent window. Here, a container 101 can include a volume of photo-curable resin 104. UV light 105 can be projected through a glass plate or lens 106 onto a building platform 102. This can initiate polymerization into a cured article 103. The building platform can be moved upward, which can cause non-cured resin to flow and recoat 107 the printed article with resin such that a subsequent layer of the article can be printed.

[0044] Similarly, FIG. 2 shows an example of a system for printing from the top-down. UV light 201 can be projected from the top-down onto an open surface of photocurable resin 204 that is contained in a vat 206. The cured article 203 can be printed onto a building platform 205 which can be moved downward into the vat of resin after each print layer. This can result in un-cured resin flowing 207 onto the surface of the cured article, which can be subsequently exposed to radiation to print another layer of the printed article. In some instances, this reflow of resin is a rate limiting step of the overall process. Therefore, a recoating mechanism 202 (e.g., mechanical arm) can assist the recoating process.

[0045] One potential limitation of the top-down and bottom-up systems described herein thus far is that they require resetting the print stage after each article is printed and are not continuous processes. In contrast, FIG. 3 shows an example of a system for printing on a pliable substrate. Here, the pliable substrate can be moved through a vat of the photo-curable resin in a continuous manner while article(s) are printed onto the substrate. UV radiation 302 can be projected onto a surface of a volume of photo-curable resin 304 in a container 305 (e.g., that is exposed to air). The printed article 303 can be printed onto a pliable substrate 301 that is moved through the photo-curable resin. In some cases, if the printing is continuous, a recoating mechanism is not used and recoating 306 proceeds without mechanical assistance. Further details about the continuous printing process can be found in PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2022 / 015906, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

[0046] The 3D printing systems described above can be used to print a variety of designs of false eyelashes having fine features. The shape of the article and its properties, such as the resolution of fine features, the consistency and extent of cure of the resin can be determined by the combination of many factors such as the mechanical attributes of the system, the chemical attributes of the resin, and the printing methodology. In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to the 3D modeling of articles to be printed and printing methodology which can include how the article is supported throughout the printing process.

[0047] One printing methodology includes computationally “slicing” a geometric model of the 3D object to be printed into a series of layers that nominally constitute the 3D object when printed in succession. This process can be referred to as “rasterization” and printing of “rasterization data”. Further details about the digitization of a design and operation of a 3D printer suitable for production of the eyelashes described herein can be found in PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2021 / 023962, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

[0048] Various designs of false eyelashes as described in the present disclosure may be modeled in 3D, where the 3D models may contain digital data that represents elements of false eyelashes and instructions that when executed, cause a printer and / or printing process to print the 3D article represented therein. According to non-limiting examples, FIG. 4 shows an example data representation of a simple fiber 400 according to some embodiments. A fiber may be represented by a wire frame including multiple nodes. The wireframe structures allow creation of a large variety of fiber types efficiently. For example, a tapered fiber may be represented in a 3D model that includes data blocks as shown:

[0049] Tapered hair

[0050] “Nodes”: [

[0051] “0.000 0.000 0.000”,

[0052] “0.000 5.240 9.612”,

[0053] “0.000 10.350 13.740”,

[0054] “0.000 13.744 15.743”,

[0055] “0.000 15.862 16.795”,

[0056] “0.000 17.156 17.376”

[0057] ],

[0058] “Wireframe”: [

[0059] {

[0060] “p”: “Square”,

[0061] “n”: “1 2 3 4 5 6”,

[0062] “d”: “1.0 1.0 0.5 0.25 0.12 0.06

[0063] “s”: “0.0 0.0 1.0”,

[0064] “sf”: “0.0 0.87 -0.47”,

[0065] “e”: “0.0 0.91 0.4”,

[0066] “t”: “0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 ”

[0067] }

[0068] ] In the above example, nodes determine the shape of the spine. Thus the fiber passes through points nl, n2, n3, . . . , n6, which reference to the coordinates listed under “Nodes”. The spine can be modified by referencing to different nodes or by changing the coordinate of each node. The various parameters determine the detailed shape of the fiber. In nonlimiting examples, data block “p” stands for profile, which determines the cross-sectional shapes of the fiber. In this case a “Square” is chosen as shown in FIG. 4. It is appreciated that other profiles, e.g., a circle, may be used to represent fibers in eyelashes.

[0069] Data block “d” stands for diameter of the fiber, which goes from 1.0 mm at node nl, gradually to 0.06 mm at n6 in the example. Data block “s” stands for the coordinates of the start of the fiber. In the example shown, the start of the fiber is set to the Z-axis so the base of the fiber is flush to the base plane. Data block “e” stands for the coordinates of the end of the fiber. Data block “t” stands for the twist of the fiber, for which each node may have a respective twist. In the example shown, the fiber does not twist and all values in “t” block are set to zero. One or more additional types of data blocks may be included in the 3D model to represent various features of eyelashes as will be described in detail further herein.

[0070] In 3D modeling, each fiber can be designed individually and modeled digitally in 3D space. In some embodiments, each fiber has diameters that need not be uniform along its length, forming various tapered forms and textures. Diameters of the fiber are controlled by the virtue of 3D modeling. In non-limiting examples, each fiber may be individually modeled as a respective wireframe as described above and further herein. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a wire may include multiple nodes each having a respective diameter. This enables modeling of a tapered fiber (having non-uniform diameters and varying curvatures) using multiple nodes.

[0071] In some examples, a combination of wireframe and box mapping may be used to model eyelashes. Box mapping may contain parameters to transform and distort primary geometry, where primary geometry will be remapped from original unit to a target unit. This enables representing variations of eyelashes individually represented in 3D modeling, including small adjustments on the final shape of the fibers.

[0072] FIGS. 5A-5D show examples of a variety of forms of eyelashes that may be modeled and printed according to some embodiments. In 3D modeling of eyelashes or components thereof (e.g., designs shown in FIGS. 5A-5D), each lash assembly can comprise one or more fibers. Each fiber may have length between about 1-20 millimeters (mm). Each fiber may have a constant or varying diameter along its length between 0.005 and about 1.0 mm. Each fiber can have some curvature to resemble various lash curvatures established within the lash industries. In some embodiments, each fiber may be modeled to possess various features using a wireframe representation such as described in embodiments in relation to FIG. 4. Additional curvature can also be modeled (e.g., in wireframe representation) and printed to create textures, such as a helix.

[0073] In FIG. 5A, individual lashes may be a single fiber or a small bundle of multiple fibers which may be attached (e.g., glued) onto one’s natural lashes individually, where each individual fiber may be represented in a 3D digital representation, e.g., in wireframe structure described above and further herein.

[0074] In FIG. 5B, segment lashes may include individual fibers extending from a strip (e.g., with each strip about 3-10 mm long). Multiple segments can be placed side-by-side on one’s lashes. A segment may be modeled in 3D and represented in multiple sets of wire representations as described above and further herein. In FIG. 5C, a strip lash may include individual lashes extending from a strip, with each strip having the length of one’s lash line. A strip can also be modeled as a wireframe, with two or more nodes depending on the curvature of the strip. In some examples, adhesive may be applied to the strip and attached on one’s eyelid just above the lash line.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 5C, the design of the false lashes described herein can have a base curve that forms the base in which lashes can be distributed along. Each fiber can be constructed from a 3D base curve with a diameter assigned to locations along the curve. The 3D base curve may have a curvature defined by the modeling software and may be placed and oriented freely in 3D. In some examples, the base curve may be modeled in the wireframe structure (e.g., shown in FIG. 4). The base curve can be digitally modeled in 3D. It can be a free form curve. This base curve could be a simple curve similar to conventional eyelash strips, or of an arbitrary contour.

[0076] In FIG. 5D, the base curve is not printed as part of the product. A hypothetical (virtual) base curve forms the base in which lashes can be distributed along. The hypothetical base curve may be an input provided to a design process, where the hypothetical base curve defines an outline of the curve (e.g., start point, end point, and curvature at various regions) to be used to inform the placement of fibers extending from the hypothetical base curve and generate representations thereof. Once the design is completed, the 3D modeling data will not include the hypothetical base curve, and the hypothetical base curve will not be printed as part of the 3D printed article (thus, hypothetical or virtual). Similar to the base curve in FIG. 5C, the hypothetical base curve in FIG. 5D can be digitally modeled in 3D. It can be a free form curve. This hypothetical base curve could be a simple curve similar to conventional eyelash strips, or of an arbitrary contour. In some examples, the fibers may be oriented roughly perpendicular to the hypothetical base curve.

[0077] As shown in FIGS. 5A-5D, a 3D printed eyelash assembly may include a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length. In some embodiments, each fiber may have a varying diameter, curvature along the length, which can be modeled using a digital representation, such as a wireframe structure described above and further herein. Ends of at least a subset of the plurality of fibers may extend from a base curve (physical or virtual), where the base curve is configured to fit into the natural shape of a human eye lash line (see e.g., FIG. 5C, 9B).

[0078] In some embodiments, additional features of eyelashes may be modeled in 3D and printed as described further herein. As shown in FIGS. 6A-6C, the fiber may be straight (FIG. 6A) or branch (FIG. 6B) at one or more locations along its length. One or multiple lashes can branch from the location, thus increasing the lash density and result in a voluminous visual effect. Branches may be digitally represented in one or more 3D models. In the above example, the branch may include a primary fiber and at least one child fiber branching off of the primary fiber at a mid-location along the primary fiber. As shown in FIG. 6B, fiber 602 extends from a base curve (e.g., virtual base curve or physical base curve) and has two children fibers 604, 608. Fiber 604 extends from the fiber 602 at the intersection point 606, wherein the intersection point is located at mid-point of fiber 602. Fiber 608 extends from the fiber 602 at the intersection point 610, wherein the intersection point is located at midpoint of fiber 602.

[0079] Each of the primary fiber and children fibers may be represented in individual wires, such as using the wireframe structure described in the present disclosure. The primary fiber may include the locations on the primary fiber from which the children fibers extend and the indices of the children fiber wireframes. It is appreciated that a branched fiber may have another branch. In other words, a wireframe may have one or more children wireframes, and a child wireframe may have one or more grandchildren wireframes, etc.

[0080] FIG. 6C shows an example of branch lash on segment, which can increase density and visual volume of strip lashes. The digital 3D model of branch lashes on segment may be represented in a combination of wireframes and branches as described above.

[0081] The lash fibers can be arranged freely around the base curve (see e.g., FIGS. 5C and 5D). In some examples, the lash fibers may align in their axial orientation, forming a coplanar lash surface where lashes stack directly on top of each other (similar to the bundle of fibers shown in FIG. 5A). FIGS. 7A-7C show examples of varied numbers of layers of lashes, according to the present disclosure. As shown, lash elements may have different but controllable axial orientation, forming multiple layers, in which there is appropriate spacing between layers of lashes. There can be a single layer of lashes (FIG. 7A) or multiple layers (FIG. 7B). Lash elements may also be arranged with irregular axial orientation, creating a more voluminous cluster (FIG. 7C). In 3D modeling, the fibers in multiple layers may be individually represented in the same manner as described above (e.g., in wireframe), where the arrangement amongst the fibers in multiple layers is controllable by axial orientation of each fiber in its respective wireframe representation. As shown, the number of layers may be stacked in 3D via intersection and fusing as will be described further herein.

[0082] In some embodiments, fibers may intersect each other by the virtue of 3D modeling. FIGS. 8A-8C show examples of intersections of fibers in different views, according to the present disclosure. FIG. 8A shows intersection of two fibers 802, 804 in cross-section view. The intersection could be an intersection at a point or offset could be an intersection, where the intersection offset distance d is smaller than the sum of the radius of the intersecting fibers (e.g., rl + r2). FIG. 8B shows the fibers of eyelashes when viewed from the side (e.g., when attached above one’s lash line).

[0083] FIG. 8C shows the intersections of fibers of eyelashes when viewed at the line AA (in FIG. 8B) from the top (see dotted areas). The top portions of the fibers are grayed out to indicate that they are not part of the view. In 3D modeling, the fibers to be intersected are individually modeled (e.g., using a wireframe structure as described above and further herein). The intersection will result in fusing (see e.g., the dotted areas in FIG. 8C) during the printing process. For example, slicing techniques (as described in PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2021 / 023962) may be used. In a given slide, one or more fusing areas may be formed, each representing an intersection of two or more fibers, and these fusing areas on the same slide are printed simultaneously. The fusing techniques can increase overall structure rigidity by bracing lashes with each other. This could improve printability of the lash assembly and / or improve durability of the final product. As seen in FIG. 5D, where a hypothetical base curve is used, the fibers of lashes can be braced together by intersection without extending from any base curve or needing support from a base curve.

[0084] In some embodiments, the intersection can be used to join two or more fibers together, e.g., at a virtual base curve or physical base curve. In such a configuration, two or more fibers may be oriented in parallel and spaced out at distance smaller than the sum of the radius of the intersecting fibers. The parallel intersection may be used to form multiple layers such as shown in FIGS. 7A-7C. In these configurations, the intersection can result in fusing during the printing process. In some embodiments, intersection of multiple layers of lashes may form fusing that results in a channel at the base of the bundle (e.g., a U-shaped channel). By positioning lashes relative to each other in a bundle, a U-shaped channel may be formed via fusing, where the channel allows attachment of natural lash within the U-shape of the channel.

[0085] In some embodiments, a lash assembly may include any suitable number of base strips (or no base strips), where the fibers may intersect with one or more base strips (when present) in the manner as described above and further herein, resulting in fusing of the lashes to the base strip(s). Where there is no base strip, or a lash does not make contact with any strip, the lash will be connected to adjacent lash(es) by intersection, as described above and further herein.

[0086] With reference to FIG. 9A, base strip 900 is a curve element that approximates the shape of the base curve (e.g., a hypothetical base curve), from which lashes 902 are attached at their ends. In 3D modeling, the various base strips may each be represented by individual wireframe as described above or further herein, where each strip may have a respective curvature and varying diameters along the length. The shape of the strip can be derived from the base curve by offsetting in 3D modeling. It may align with or be offset from the base curve (e.g., a hypothetical base curve), resulting in additional texture. For example, the strip may be represented in 3D using a wireframe structure as described above and further herein, or box mapping which represents transformation from a base strip (base curve). In some examples, multiple strips may be derived from the base curve (e.g., hypothetical base curve) by offsetting from different directions and distance. These strips may have curvatures different from the base curve.

[0087] With further reference to FIG. 9A, base strip 904 may form a weave. In some embodiments, there can be multiple strips 906, optionally with additional element(s) 908 added between strips. This can add structural linkages between strips that may be too far apart to be joined by intersections. For example, a lattice-like structure in 3D model can be created between multiple strips to improve structural rigidity. Lattice-like structure for 3D modeling is further described in PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2021 / 023962, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

[0088] In FIG. 9A, a surface element 910 may be derived from the base strip by simple extrusion, or by lofting multiple strips derived from the base curve. In 3D modeling, the surface element may be represented using mesh element, e.g., using triangulated mesh with thickness assign at each vertex. The mesh element in 3D modeling is described in PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2021 / 023962, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes. The surface element can be used to increase contact area between the lash assembly and the skin on the eyelid. The increased contact area can promote adhesion between the false lashes and the eyelid and / or natural eyelashes. Additional adhesion can be achieved by having hooks, protrusions, or a rough texture on the portion of the false eyelash that contact (and is adhered to, optionally with the aid of an adhesive) the eyelid and / or natural eyelash.

[0089] In various embodiments in FIG. 9A, in the presence of any base strips, the strips may have varying diameter along its length, for example between about 0.005 mm and about 2.0 mm. FIG. 9B shows an example of eyelashes having a base curve derived from ergonomic to match the user eye. In such case(s), the base strip would follow the shape of an eye. It is appreciated that a hypothetical (virtual) base curve may also be configured to match a user’s shape of the eyes. In some cases, the curvature and other aspects of the lashes can be generated through a computer camera system, where the eye shape of the individual can be captured and the respective designs can be generated or recommended.

[0090] In some embodiments, a lash assembly may have one or multiple protrusions placed along the base strip(s) and / or along the lashes and extending perpendicularly from those elements. Each protrusion may include a fiber, which may have varying lengths (e.g., between about 0.05 and about 5 mm) and diameter (e.g., between about 0.005 mm and about 1.0 mm). The placement of these protrusions can be defined in the 3D model, e.g., using wireframe structure described above and further herein. The protrusions can be placed in locations where the lash assembly interfaces with natural lash. As the lash assembly is applied or installed onto the natural lash, these protrusions can be placed at the gap between the natural lashes to form mechanical adhesion between the lash assembly and natural lashes.

[0091] In some embodiments, one or more protrusions may include additional features. For example, the protrusions may have secondary protrusion(s) that each protrude roughly perpendicular to its parent. These secondary protrusions allow the lash assembly to latch onto the natural lashes, forming mechanical adhesion between the lash assembly and natural lashes. In some embodiments, one or more protrusions may each have one or multiple curved extension(s) at its tip (e.g., a hook). These curved extensions allow the lash assembly to latch onto the natural lashes, forming mechanical adhesion between the lash assembly and natural lashes.

[0092] The protrusions may be arranged in close proximity to each other (e.g., with gaps of about 0.005 mm to about 3.0 mm between protrusions). Fluid (such as glue) can be applied to these protrusions which can form webbing of fluid between protrusions. This can assist in adhesion of the lash assembly to natural lash.

[0093] In some embodiments, a lash assembly may include support structure to help stabilize the article while being printed. A lash assembly can be supported in various ways. For example, the lash assembly can be printed directly on a build platform (e.g., a substrate), in which case the base strip sits flat on the platform and lashes elements point in some direction normal to the build platform (not shown). The printed elements of the lash assembly can also be printed offset from the build platform, in which case, the assembly can be supported in one or more locations with support structure. FIGS. 10A-10D show examples of a support structure in various configurations that may be used in printing lash assemblies, according to the systems and methods described herein. A 3D printed eyelash assembly may include support structure which connects the plurality of fibers to a build platform. Support structure may be part of 3D modeling and may be printed along with the lash assembly to provide rigidity of the lash assembly when the fibers are being printed. Once printed, or upon application, the lashes (e.g., base strips and fibers) may be severed from the support structure (e.g., via snap-off) before being attached to the natural lash.

[0094] FIGS. 10A-10B show examples of a scaffold structure in a side view and perspective view, respectively. As shown, lash assembly 1000 can be printed on a build platform 1002. In some cases, the build platform is a pliable substrate (e.g., pliable substrate 301 in FIG. 3), whereas the scaffold structure connects the fibers 1006 to the substrate. The scaffold may be modelled as a line element (e.g., wireframe as described above and further herein). Line elements may coincide at ends and be sliced as fused elements by the virtue of overlap such as described above and further herein. As shown in FIGS. 10A-10B, support structure may include a first support structure 1004-1 and a second support structure 1004-2. Support structure 1004-1 may connect the build platform 1002 to first ends of the plurality of fibers 1008. In some examples, first ends of the fibers 1008 may include the tips of the plurality of fibers. Support structure 1004-2 may connect the building platform 1002 to second ends of the plurality of fibers 1010 opposite the first ends. In some examples, the second ends of the fibers may form the virtual base curve or connect to a physical base curve.

[0095] FIG. 10C shows an example of supporting and printing multiple lash assemblies on a substrate using a scaffold structure as shown in FIGS. 10A-10B. In some embodiments, a 3D printed eyelash packaging 1014 may include a plurality of eyelash assemblies disposed on a substrate 1016. Each eyelash assembly may be designed and printed in a similar manner as described in FIG. 10A, which may include a plurality of fibers and a respective support structure connecting the eyelash assembly to the substrate 1016.

[0096] FIG. 10D shows an example of a secondary structure that can be used to stack lashes within the print volume to enable efficient printing, according to some embodiments. As shown, multiple configurations of lash assemblies each having a secondary structure (e.g., a sheet 1020 supporting multiple lash assemblies such as shown in FIG. 10C), may be printed on a substrate 1022.

[0097] In these various configurations, a support structure (e.g., shown in FIGS. 10A-10D) may be included in the final packaging to the end user. In this case, lashes remain attached to the support structure when shipped to the end user, where the end user would remove it from the support structure. In some embodiments, the support structure aforementioned may be attached to a secondary structure, where the secondary support structure can be a sheet or a lattice structure in 3D modeling. This secondary structure could be used in full or partially as a final packaging. In which case, the end user will remove the lash from the support structure.

[0098] In various configurations of support structures, the support structure makes contact with the lash assembly by intersection. FIGS. 11 A- 1 IB show connection of lash tips 1102 to support structure 1100 (e.g., scaffold). In some embodiments, a base strip may be connected to a scaffold structure through support pillars. The scaffold may be attached to the build platform or the secondary support structure. In non-limiting examples, the contact diameter may be around 0.005 to 3.0mm. The support structure contacts the lash assembly by intersection. In some examples, the contact diameter may be between about 0.005 mm and about 3.0 mm.

[0099] FIGS. 12A-12B show examples of supporting a printed lash segment on a substrate, according to the systems and methods described herein. In FIG. 12A, support structure 1204 has a contact 1206 diameter smaller than the element 1200 which it is supporting. With reference to FIG. 12B, if the tip of a curve element (e.g., a lash fiber) is to be supported, and the diameter of the tip has a similar or smaller diameter than typical contact diameter, the support structure 1208 will have a larger contact 1212 diameter than the tip of the curve element, where the tip would snap off from support at location where diameter transitions.

[0100] Although FIGS. 12A-12B show contact points that connect tips of fibers with support structure, it is appreciated that contact points may not be needed. For example, a lash assembly may have a support structure of lashes that is just holding around the fibers (e.g., via intersections) rather than having contact points, to keep the lash in shape during the post processing. Three-dimensional modeling of eyelashes as described in various embodiments in FIGS. 4-12 may be printed using suitable 3D printing processes. In non-limiting examples, a continuous printing process, such as described in PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2022 / 015906, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety for all purposes, may be used. Such printing process does not have any mechanical device to redistribute resin on the printing surface, nor does it have a printing window which the printed part might be attached to. This enables printing very fine line elements without mechanical interference. In some examples, using the above 3D printing processes (or other suitable printing processes), a resolution of between 1-100 um can be achieved. In contrast, in existing 3D printing, mechanical interference creates lateral force on the partially printed objects. If the object is thin, it will not withstand those forces and may shift. This would result in misalignment to subsequent layers.

[0101] FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram of an example of continuous printing of one or more lash assemblies, in accordance with some embodiments of printing methods. As shown, the pliable substrate may enter into a vat of the photo-curable resin at an angle (e.g., an acute angle) relative to the surface of the resin and move through the vat of the photo-curable resin in a continuous manner while article(s) are printed onto the substrate.

[0102] Continuing with FIG. 13, the printing methodology computationally “slices” a model of the 3D object to be printed into a series of layers that constitute the 3D object when printed in succession. Here, plurality of lash assemblies 1300 are being printed on a pliable substrate 1302 moved in the direction shown through a vat 1304 containing a photo-curable resin 1306. In the example shown in FIG. 13, lash assembly 1300 includes plurality of fibers 1312 and support structure (e.g., scaffold structure 1310, 1316), and a built platform 1308. Built platform 1308 is affixed to the pliable substrate on one end and extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom. Plurality of lash assemblies are printed onto substrate 1302 at an angle (e.g., a non-right angle, such as an acute angle ex, e.g., K / 4 radians or any other suitable value) with respect to the plane of the substrate 1302, or in parallel with the surface of the resin 1318. Therefore, the slices of the 3D model may each contain portions of more than one component of a lash assembly or portions of more than one lash assembly. The UV radiation 1320 can be directed perpendicular to the surface of the resin 1318 in a pattern corresponding to the particular slice being printed at that time. With further reference to FIG. 13, the continuous top-down printing process as described herein shows already cured and finished parts (and portions thereof), e.g., portions of lash assembly 1300, lash assembly 1322, that continue to move further into and out the resin vat 1304. The parts (and portions thereof) above the surface of the resin 1318 depict portions to be printed in the future. The resin level of the vat 1304 also depicts the projection layer for the UV radiation hitting the photopolymer precursor. This layer indicates the layer of curing of liquid photopolymer into cured parts of iterations.

[0103] In the example printing process shown in FIG. 13, support structure 1310 is printed first before the fibers 1312, physical base curve 1314, and support structure 1316 are printed. The build platform 1308 is printed simultaneously along the support structure (1310, 1316) and the fibers 1312 being printed. It is appreciated that 3D modeling of lash assembly and the printing process, such as those described above in FIGS. 1-13, may enable printing of various designs of lash assembly. For example, to accommodate printing of lash assembly, the support structure may be printed before the components to which the support structure supports are printed. Conversely, the support structure may be printed after the components to which the support structure support are printed. In the example in FIG. 12B, where individual lashes 1210 have individual support, the support structure 1208 may be printed after lashes are printed so that the printed fibers can survive post-processing in the printing process.

[0104] Although an example manufacturing process is shown in FIG. 13 for manufacturing false lash assemblies where a single lash assembly is shown to be printed at a time, it is appreciated that multiple sets of false lash assemblies may be printed on a same substrate (see e.g., FIG. 10C), or multiple sets of lash assemblies may be stacked while being printed using secondary support (see e.g., FIG. 10D).

[0105] Alternatively, and / or additionally, iteration stacking printing, that is disclosed in PCT / US2024 / 029847 and is incorporated herein by reference, may be used to print a plurality of continuous batches of false lashes that execute multiple files or multiple instances of a file within a single projection / execution layer. This enables at least partially simultaneous printing of multiple iterations of a same or different articles, and achieving computational efficiency, material efficiency, and time efficiency. FIG. 14 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a printing system, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Here, a communication interface 1400 between a server 1402 (e.g., a processor on a server or on the cloud) and machine operating firmware 1404 (e.g., in the 3D printer) may be created to execute production jobs. In the example shown, the server 1402 may be Factory OS, e.g., the server-side production management. The data transmitted through the communication (e.g., from server 1402 to machine (printer) operating firmware 1404 may contain the file data containing instructions such as data blocks containing the 3D model of lash assembly to be printed. The instructions may include printing the fibers, support structure and build platform as described above.

[0106] Although FIG. 14 shows communication between the server and machine operating firmware, it should be appreciated that any variation of this configuration may be suitable. For example, the server 1402 may be co-residing with the machine operating firmware inside the 3D printing system.

[0107] It should be appreciated that one or more 3D printing systems may be used to implement the systems and methods described herein. For example, some embodiments may be used in conjunction with one or more printing systems described in U.S. Patent Publication No. US20200070410, or PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT / US2022 / 015906, each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. However, it should be appreciated that other printer methods and systems may be used with embodiments as described herein.

[0108] The geometry of the article to be printed can be digitally represented in any suitable file structure (e.g., for use in controlling the 3D printer). Such systems can include slicing the geometry into a plurality of layers. Such file format or any suitable computational method are described in detail in PCT Patent Application Serial Number PCT / US2021 / 023962, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Such systems, methods, and file formats can be suitable for printing microstructures.

[0109] The printing method may be stereolithographic, or involve deposition, sintering or melting techniques such as fused deposition modelling, selective laser sintering or selective laser melting processes (e.g., which might not use photopolymers). Suitable materials may be used with the printing methods described above and further herein. For example, the challenge in manufacturing false lashes using DLP can be in finding formulations that fulfill many of the requirements of both printability and customer properties. The latter is reflected by a lash that has classical mechanical properties such as toughness, reflected by both tensile strength and elongation but also less quantifiable attributes such as softness to touch and visible fullness of the lashes. In non-limiting examples, a composition that fulfills these requirements simultaneously may include:

[0110] 1. A monofunctional monomer which can be chosen from an acrylate, methacrylate or urethane acrylate;

[0111] 2. A monofunctional monomer which can be chosen from an acrylate ester or acrylate carbamate;

[0112] 3. A difunctional crosslinking agent which can be chosen from an acrylate, methacrylate;

[0113] 4. A nucleophilic crosslinking agent which may be di-, tri-or tetra-functional and possess amine or thiol functional groups;

[0114] 5. An electrophilic crosslinking agent such as a di-, tri-or tetra-functionalized acrylate or methacrylate;

[0115] 6. A photoinitiator; and / or

[0116] 7. A colorant, such as carbon black, nigrosine, or a wide list of dyes and pigments.

[0117] As described above, acrylates may be used. In some embodiments, the softness and fluffiness of the lashes is related to the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymerized solution being between 20 °C and 40 °C with the preferred being close to 28 °C. To polymerize a solution containing colorants at a level to reproduce the color of a lash, a suitable ratio of colorant to photoinitiator may be selected.

[0118] In some embodiments, alternatives to acrylates, such as thiol-ene based photopolymer may be used for DLP-3D printing, which enables creating more flexible / bendable materials with high elongation at yields not typically seen in acrylate formulations. Using thiol-ene-based photopolymer formulations along with designs that can be harnessed via DLP-based additive manufacturing may achieve an optimum balance of good bendability while maintaining sufficient rigidity thereby enhancing the overall performance. Various embodiments described in FIGS. 1-14 provide technical solutions in 3D modeling and printing false eyelashes. They provide advantages over existing systems in that the manufacturing process described herein reduces human labor in the assembly of lashes. The lash geometry is created digitally in 3D and recreated with the 3D printing process with precision and accuracy.

[0119] Conventionally, joints and connection between fibers are achieved by physical processes, such as knot typing, gluing, and melting, whereas the techniques described herein create joints and / or fusing by modeling intersections in 3D models.

[0120] Intersection of lash elements in the 3D modeling results in additional support between lash elements. This could mean enabling strip or segment lashes without the base strip. Lashes may fuse at regions where 3D model elements intersect, resulting in a continuous structure between lash elements. In some cases, more structural linkages are created between adjacent lashes. This can improve the overall structural integrity and result in more durable lashes. Additionally, and / or alternatively, secondary support may be provided. It shortens the effort for packaging as there are little to no additional processes to prepare the product for packaging. Conventionally, workers would need to pick and place individual lashes into packages manually.

[0121] In some instances, a voluminous and / or multilayer lash design is created. Previous techniques can have coplanar lashes since curvature is created by thermal setting lashes around a metal pin. However, the present methods can freely model the lashes in 3D space, allowing for more variation in orientation and placement of lashes along the base curve.

[0122] The above-described embodiments may be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, the embodiments may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code may be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single computer or distributed among multiple computers. It should be appreciated that any component or collection of components that perform the functions described above may be generically considered as one or more controllers that control the above-discussed functions. The one or more controllers may be implemented in numerous ways, such as with dedicated hardware or with one or more processors programmed using microcode or software to perform the functions recited above.

[0123] In this respect, it should be appreciated that one implementation of the embodiments of the present disclosure comprises at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a computer memory, a portable memory, a compact disk, etc.) encoded with a computer program (i.e., a plurality of instructions), which, when executed on a processor, performs the above-discussed functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer-readable storage medium may be transportable such that the program stored thereon may be loaded onto any computer resource to implement the aspects of the present disclosure discussed herein. In addition, it should be appreciated that the reference to a computer program which, when executed, performs the above-discussed functions, is not limited to an application program running on a host computer. Rather, the term computer program is used herein in a generic sense to reference any type of computer code (e.g., software or microcode) that may be employed to program a processor to implement the above-discussed aspects of the present disclosure.

[0124] Various aspects of the present disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussed in the embodiments described in the foregoing and are therefore not limited in their application to the details and arrangement of components set forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in any manner with aspects described in other embodiments.

[0125] Embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented as one or more methods, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method(s) may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

[0126] Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. Such terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term).

[0127] The phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," "having," “containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and additional items.

[0128] Having described several embodiments of the technology in detail, various modifications and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended as limiting.

[0129] Various aspects are described in this disclosure, which include, but are not limited to, the following aspects which can be combined in any suitable combination:

[0130] (1) A 3D printed eyelash assembly, comprising: a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length, the plurality of fibers braced together via intersections, wherein ends of at least a subset of the plurality of fibers extend to a virtual base curve configured to fit into a natural shape of a human eye lash line.

[0131] (2) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of aspect 1, wherein the intersections each include an intersection point, at which at least a first fiber and a second fiber pass, wherein an offset distance between the first fiber and the second fiber at the intersection point is smaller than a sum of a radius of the first fiber and a radius of the second fiber.

[0132] (3) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of aspect 2, wherein both the first fiber and the second fiber extend from the virtual base curve.

[0133] (4) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of aspect 2, wherein the first fiber extends from the virtual base curve and the second fiber extends from the first fiber at the intersection point, wherein the intersection point is located at a mid-point of the first fiber.

[0134] (5) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of aspects 1-4, wherein two or more fibers of the plurality of fibers are oriented in a parallel manner such that ends of the one or more fibers intersect at the virtual base curve. (6) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of aspects 1-5, further comprising: a build platform; and a support structure connecting the plurality of fibers to the build platform.

[0135] (7) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of aspect 6, wherein the support structure comprises: a first structure connecting the build platform to first ends of the plurality of fibers, the first ends comprising the tips of the plurality of fibers; and a second structure connecting the build platform to second ends of the plurality of fibers opposite the first ends, the second ends forming the virtual base curve.

[0136] (8) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of aspect 7, wherein the first structure comprises a plurality of pillars connecting to the tips of the plurality of fibers respectively at a plurality of contact areas each having a size smaller than a diameter of a corresponding pillar of the plurality of pillars and larger than a diameter of a corresponding tip of the tips of the plurality of fibers.

[0137] (9) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of aspects 7 or 8, further comprising a physical base curve in place of the virtual base curve, wherein the physical base curve connects to the second ends of the plurality of fibers and the second support structure.

[0138] (10) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of aspects 7-9, wherein each of the first structure and the second structure comprises a scaffold structure.

[0139] (11) The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of aspects 6-10, further comprising an additional plurality of fibers and an additional support structure, wherein the additional support structure connects the build platform to the additional plurality of fibers.

[0140] (12) A system for continuous 3D printing of a plurality of eyelash assemblies, the system comprising: a 3D printer having (i) a reservoir of photo-curable resin, (ii) a conveyor configured to convey a substrate through the reservoir of photo-curable resin, and (iii) a projector configured to project radiation at a surface of the photo-curable resin; and at least one processor configured to control the 3D printer to print one or more eyelash assemblies in any of aspects 1-11.

[0141] (13) A non-transitory computer readable media comprising a 3D model file representing an eyelash assembly for printing and further containing one or more data blocks that represent one or more eyelash assemblies in any of aspects 1-11.

[0142] (14) A 3D printed eyelash packaging, comprising a plurality of eyelash assemblies disposed on a substrate, each eyelash assembly comprising: a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length; and a respective support structure connecting the eyelash assembly to the substrate.

[0143] (15) The 3D printed eyelash packaging of aspect 14, wherein for each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the respective support structure comprises: a first structure connecting the substrate to first ends of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly, the first ends comprising the tips of the plurality of fibers; and a second structure connecting the substrate to second ends of the plurality of fibers opposite the first ends.

[0144] (16) The 3D printed eyelash packaging of aspect 15, wherein for each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the first structure comprises a plurality of pillars connecting to the tips of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly respectively at a plurality of contact areas each having a size smaller than a diameter of a corresponding pillar of the plurality of pillars and larger than a diameter of a corresponding tip of the tips of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly.

[0145] (17) The 3D printed eyelash packaging of aspects 15 or 16, wherein each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies further comprises a respective base curve from which the second ends of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly extend, the respective base curve configured to fit into a natural shape of a human eye lash line.

[0146] (18) The 3D printed eyelash packaging of any of aspects 15-17, wherein the first structure and the second structure each comprise a scaffold structure.

[0147] (19) The 3D printed eyelash packaging of any of aspects 14-18, wherein for each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the plurality of fibers are braced together via intersections.

[0148] (20) The 3D printed eyelash packaging of aspect 19, wherein the intersections each include an intersection point, at which at least a first fiber and a second fiber pass, wherein an offset distance between the first fiber and the second fiber at the intersection point is smaller than a sum of a radius of the first fiber and a radius of the second fiber.

[0149] (21) The 3D printed eyelash packaging of any of aspects 14-20, wherein one or more fibers of the plurality of fibers in an eyelash assembly are oriented in a parallel manner such that ends of the one or more fibers intersect at a corresponding support structure.

[0150] (22) A system for continuous 3D printing of an eyelash packaging, the system comprising: a 3D printer having (i) a reservoir of photo-curable resin, (ii) a conveyor configured to convey a substrate through the reservoir of photo-curable resin, and (iii) a projector configured to project radiation at a surface of the photo-curable resin; and at least one processor configured to control the 3D printer to print one or more eyelash assemblies in the eyelash packaging in any of aspects 15-21.

[0151] (23) A non-transitory computer readable media comprising a 3D model file representing an eyelash packaging for printing and further containing one or more data blocks that represent one or more eyelash assemblies in the eyelash packaging in any of aspects 15- 21.

[0152] (24) A system for designing a 3D printable eyelash extension comprising a camera configured to take an image of a person’s eye and a computational module configured to use the image to select a shape of an eyelash extension that, when manufactured, will conform to a shape of the person's eye.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A 3D printed eyelash assembly, comprising: a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length, wherein the plurality of fibers are braced together via intersections, and wherein ends of at least a subset of the plurality of fibers extend to a virtual base curve configured to fit into a natural shape of a human eye lash line.

2. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of claim 1, wherein the intersections each include an intersection point, at which at least a first fiber and a second fiber pass, wherein an offset distance between the first fiber and the second fiber at the intersection point is smaller than a sum of a radius of the first fiber and a radius of the second fiber.

3. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of claim 2, wherein both the first fiber and the second fiber extend from the virtual base curve.

4. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of claim 2, wherein the first fiber extends from the virtual base curve and the second fiber extends from the first fiber at the intersection point, wherein the intersection point is located at a mid-point of the first fiber.

5. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of claims 1-4, wherein two or more fibers of the plurality of fibers are oriented in a parallel manner such that ends of the two or more fibers intersect at the virtual base curve.

6. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of claims 1-5, further comprising: a build platform; and a support structure connecting the plurality of fibers to the build platform.

7. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of claim 6, wherein the support structure comprises: a first structure connecting the build platform to first ends of the plurality of fibers, the first ends comprising tips of the plurality of fibers; and a second structure connecting the build platform to second ends of the plurality of fibers opposite the first ends, the second ends forming the virtual base curve.

8. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of claim 7, wherein the first structure comprises a plurality of pillars connecting to the tips of the plurality of fibers respectively at a plurality of contact areas each having a size smaller than a diameter of a corresponding pillar of the plurality of pillars and larger than a diameter of a corresponding tip of the tips of the plurality of fibers.

9. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of claims 7-8, further comprising a physical base curve in place of the virtual base curve, wherein the physical base curve connects to the second ends of the plurality of fibers and the second structure.

10. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of claims 7-9, wherein each of the first structure and the second structure comprises a scaffold structure.

11. The 3D printed eyelash assembly of any of claims 6-10, further comprising an additional plurality of fibers and an additional support structure, wherein the additional support structure connects the build platform to the additional plurality of fibers.

12. A system for continuous 3D printing of a plurality of eyelash assemblies, the system comprising: a 3D printer having (i) a reservoir of photo-curable resin, (ii) a conveyor configured to convey a substrate through the reservoir of photo-curable resin, and (iii) a projector configured to project radiation at a surface of the photo-curable resin; and at least one processor configured to control the 3D printer to print one or more eyelash assemblies in any of claims 1-11.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising: a 3D model file representing an eyelash assembly for printing and further containing one or more data blocks that represent one or more eyelash assemblies in any of claims 1- 11.

14. A 3D printed eyelash packaging, comprising: a plurality of eyelash assemblies disposed on a substrate, each eyelash assembly comprising: a plurality of fibers each having a respective diameter, curvature, orientation and length; and a respective support structure connecting the eyelash assembly to the substrate.

15. The 3D printed eyelash packaging of claim 14, wherein: for each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the respective support structure comprises: a first structure connecting the substrate to first ends of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly, the first ends comprising tips of the plurality of fibers; and a second structure connecting the substrate to second ends of the plurality of fibers opposite the first ends.

16. The 3D printed eyelash packaging of claim 15, wherein: for each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the first structure comprises a plurality of pillars connecting to the tips of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly respectively at a plurality of contact areas each having a size smaller than a diameter of a corresponding pillar of the plurality of pillars and larger than a diameter of a corresponding tip of the tips of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly.

17. The 3D printed eyelash packaging of any of claims 15-16, wherein: each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies further comprises a respective base curve from which the second ends of the plurality of fibers in the eyelash assembly extend, the respective base curve configured to fit into a natural shape of a human eye lash line.

18. The 3D printed eyelash packaging of any of claims 15-17, wherein the first structure and the second structure each comprise a scaffold structure.

19. The 3D printed eyelash packaging of any of claims 14-18, wherein: for each of the plurality of eyelash assemblies, the plurality of fibers are braced together via intersections.

20. The 3D printed eyelash packaging of claim 19, wherein the intersections each include an intersection point, at which at least a first fiber and a second fiber pass, wherein an offset distance between the first fiber and the second fiber at the intersection point is smaller than a sum of a radius of the first fiber and a radius of the second fiber.

21. The 3D printed eyelash packaging of any of claims 14-20, wherein one or more fibers of the plurality of fibers in an eyelash assembly are oriented in a parallel manner such that ends of the one or more fibers intersect at a corresponding support structure.

22. A system for continuous 3D printing of an eyelash packaging, the system comprising: a 3D printer having (i) a reservoir of photo-curable resin, (ii) a conveyor configured to convey a substrate through the reservoir of photo-curable resin, and (iii) a projector configured to project radiation at a surface of the photo-curable resin; and at least one processor configured to control the 3D printer to print one or more eyelash assemblies in the eyelash packaging in any of claims 15-21.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising: a 3D model file representing an eyelash packaging for printing and further containing one or more data blocks that represent one or more eyelash assemblies in the eyelash packaging in any of claims 15-21.

24. A system for designing a 3D printable eyelash extension comprising a camera configured to take an image of a person’s eye and a computational module configured to usethe image to select a shape of an eyelash extension that, when manufactured, will conform to a shape of the person’s eye.

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