What is it about?
Our review explores how sound waves can be used to move and assemble materials without contact during 3D printing. This offers a new way to print delicate or complex structures without relying on traditional nozzles or layers. Acoustics can precisely control droplets, particles, and even living cells, enabling printing in mid-air or onto curved surfaces. These developments could lead to safer, more flexible methods for printing tissues, electronics, and soft materials.
Featured Image
Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Our review is the first to systematically map the evolution of acoustics in additive manufacturing, from patterning to enabling fully contactless, standalone fabrication using sound alone. This is timely, as recent breakthroughs have demonstrated that sound waves can not only position materials with high precision but also assemble multi-material structures in mid-air or onto curved, moving surfaces. This transformation could overcome long-standing limitations in material compatibility, damage from mechanical contact, and geometric constraints, opening new pathways for in situ bioprinting, on-body manufacturing, and minimally invasive medical applications.
Perspectives
I’ve always found it incredible that something as intangible as sound can be used to build real, physical structures. This paper brings together many exciting developments that show how this is no longer science fiction. Whether you're into engineering, medicine, or just enjoy mind-bending technology, I hope this article sparks curiosity about how we might build the future—quietly, and without ever touching the material.
Dr Hongyi Chen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Acoustics in additive manufacturing: A path toward contactless, scalable, and high-precision manufacturing, Applied Physics Reviews, July 2025, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0271688.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
