Method and apparatus for fabricating a component

2019

Patent

pf

The invention relates to a method of fabricating a component having a one-, two- or three-dimensional geometry, wherein the shape of the component is obtained by utilizing an acoustic field and the effect of acoustic forces and by fixating a shape that forms in the acoustic field. This may be achieved by accumulating a material, like e. g. discrete particles in the pressure nodes formed by the acoustic field. Furthermore, the invention relates to an apparatus for fabricating a component, including an acoustic source device for forming an acoustic field that gives rise to a shape, including shapes formed by a particle distribution by acoustic forces, and a fixation device for fixating a shape of the particle distribution. Applications of the invention are available in the fields of fabricating materials with arbitrary shapes, e.g. for rapid prototyping purposes, and the assembly of materials.

@patent{EP3034281,
  title = {Method and apparatus for fabricating a component},
  author = {Melde, K. and Fischer, P.},
  number = {EP3034281B1},
  year = {2019},
  doi = {}
}