LeviPrint: 3D Printing and Assembly with Acoustic Levitation

Jul 27, 2022

LeviPrint is a system for assembling objects in a contactless manner using acoustic levitation. We explore a set of optimum acoustic fields that enables full trapping in position and orientation of elongated objects such as sticks. We then evaluate the capabilities of different ultrasonic levitators to dynamically manipulate these elongated objects. The combination of novel optimization algorithms and levitators enable the manipulation of sticks, beads and droplets to fabricate complex objects. A system prototype composed of a robot arm and a levitator is tested for different fabrication processes. We highlight the reduction of cross-contamination and the capability of building on top of objects from different angles as well as inside closed spaces. We hope that this technique inspires novel fabrication techniques and that reaches fields such as microfabrication of electromechanical components or even in-vivo additive manufacturing.

Cite this Work

BibTex:

@inproceedings{ezcurdia2022leviprint,
title={LeviPrint: Contactless Fabrication using Full Acoustic Trapping of Elongated Parts.},
author={Ezcurdia, I{\~n}igo and Morales, Rafael and Andrade, Marco AB and Marzo, Asier},
booktitle={ACM SIGGRAPH 2022 Conference Proceedings},
pages={1–9},
year={2022}
}

APA:

Ezcurdia, I., Morales, R., Andrade, M. A., & Marzo, A. (2022, July). LeviPrint: Contactless Fabrication using Full Acoustic Trapping of Elongated Parts. In ACM SIGGRAPH 2022 Conference Proceedings (pp. 1-9).