Scientists Tomsk state University (TSU) are actively developing the world’s first levitation 3D printer designed for a wide spectrum of engineering tasks and functioning with focused acoustic levitation.
At the moment, a scale model is already assembled: it is able to levitate small particles, for example, polystyrene, and move them by means of changes in acoustic fields. On 13 January 2018, reported the press service of the TSU.
“Integrated domestic technology of 3D printing will be created by 2020. The first stage of development fully controlled by the levitation of the particles, which have been worked out. In the future, we’ll try the technique of administration from a group of different items, thanks to the arrangement of which in space can easily model complex three-dimensional objects”, – said the head of the project, Professor TSU Dmitry Sukhanov.
The developer stressed that the unique levitation the 3D printer is going in the framework of the program on import substitution and consists of components produced on the territory of the Russian Federation on domestic technologies, such as grid of ultrasonic transducers, the system of multiple control and the necessary software.
“In the future, the project will involve chemists, who will be able to determine the optimum substances used in the particles levitating material, as well as specific temperature regimes under which these particles can be grouped in certain objects”, – concluded Dmitry Sukhanov.
To develop the staff of the TSU have shown an interest in many Russian industrial companies. The use of the levitation 3D printer manufacturing will significantly reduce the cost of creating the so-called “puppet” of complex parts, which later form the basis for the production of unique technical solutions to one or another direction.