This article addresses how microscopes and related hardware designs can be made more reproducible through the use of computer-aided design (CAD) software and improved publication of design files. The introduction of suitable standards for publishing design files alongside the manuscript and that this is also part of the raw data of the scientific work are discussed. The article explains how CAD files can provide most of the information required to reproduce a design of a hardware part or system and can accelerate the dissemination of scientific knowledge, allow reproducibility at lower cost, permit a design’s reuse and improvement, and promote innovation in the field of biological imaging. Finally, the article argues that requiring existing CAD files in their original, editable format, as well as exported formats that are easier to view or print, will increase the value to readers and allow greater reproducibility, improvement, and adaptability. Research – in large parts – is publicly funded, hence the results should also be shared with a wider community openly. In many studies this is not the case, which slows down developments and creates a certain exclusivity.

In the manuscript the researchers provide a good practice guide that will encourage the sharing of design files among the scientific community. With openUC2, a modular optical toolbox developed at Leibniz IPHT, new standards have been set in documentation and community building beyond the initial release. The result: More than 300 replications worldwide and an accelerated development in 3D printed photonics. In the scope of this paper the scientists emphasize the importance and advantages of sharing files openly, but also the implication on current business models – which is an important question also for Leibniz IPHT is discussed.