A method known as “LeviPrint” assembles things by the use of audio manipulation rather than direct physical contact. 

“We generate acoustic fields that trap small particles, glue droplets and, most importantly, elongated stick-like elements that can be manipulated and reoriented as we levitate them.  

In short, it’s a fully working system for making 3D structures without touching them. This is the theory put forth by academics at the UPNA/NUP-Public University of Navarre.

This research will be presented in Vancouver, Canada, in August at SIGGRAPH, the most renowned event on computer graphics and interactive approaches, where businesses such as Nvidia, Disney Research, and Facebook Reality Labs showcase their work.

Asier Marzo, the lead researcher and a member of UPNA/Smart NUP’s Cities Institute (ISC), said, “we have designed a levitator combined with a robotic arm and a liquid dispenser to manufacture complex objects without contact”. 

Unlike traditional assembly and manufacturing procedures, in which parts come into direct contact with the machine, acoustic manipulation has been utilized to position and orient pieces during the assembly process without touching them.

“We can manipulate small, brittle parts, as well as liquids or powders, thus making the processes more versatile. There is less cross-contamination, as the manipulator does not touch the material. Furthermore, it enables manufacturing techniques that cannot be achieved using traditional 3D printing, such as adding elements on top of existing parts or manufacturing inside closed containers from the outside,” according to PhD student and principal author Iigo Ezcurdia.

Innovative work

As they pointed out, “levitation of small particles and droplets had been achieved before, but no existing work has managed to trap in position and orientation elongated objects; this research allows using segments, sticks or beams for the fast and contactless manufacturing of robust, lightweight and complex structures”.

One of the proposed methods involves using an adhesive that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light. Although structures are typically created by assembling bits and extended segments with this glue, parts composed entirely of glue can also be produced. For instance, the system employs an acoustic levitator to capture a glue droplet released from a syringe.

The droplet is raised into the space where the subsequent component will be attached. In order to attach the new part to the structure, the system picks up a segment or particle, places it next to the older ones in contact with the glue, and then employs UV light to dry the glue.

The ultrasonic field may penetrate various materials, including meshes and textiles. For instance, by levitating items from the outside through a small aperture, the researchers constructed a ship within a bottle.

“If Leviprint was adapted to operate in aqueous media,” they remarked, “it could assemble complex structures in cell culture media and perhaps even inside living beings”.

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