Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10420349 | Precision Engineering | 2005 | 15 Pages |
Abstract
Microassembly is currently of the utmost importance in industry. Nevertheless, the classical assembly processes are no longer usable for very small components, typically ranging from 10âμ m to 10âmm, since usually neglected surface forces disturb the handling task by inducing adhesion between the component and the gripper. A promising alternative to tackle surface forces consists in levitating the handled component. The various advantages of this contactless handling method are reviewed here and justify the choice of this approach. Consequently, the numerous physical principles suitable for contactless handling are briefly described together with their limitations. The evaluation shows that acoustic levitation is best fitted in the case of microassembly. A classification of literature applications is presented hereafter with special focus on acoustic levitation. Finally, the most common models of acoustical levitation are inspected in a general way. The described models come within the scope of non-linear acoustics.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Engineering
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Authors
Vincent Vandaele, Pierre Lambert, Alain Delchambre,