Expertise
Master the latest acoustic technologies to develop high-performance, affordable solutions tailored to your needs
Efficient prototyping and high production flexibility
Tailor-made high performance
Reliable predictions, rapid development and optimal solutions
The medical and mechanical engineering sectors are increasingly adopting 3D printing. This manufacturing process also opens up new possibilities for noise reduction, from the theoretical research phase right through to the production of mass-produced parts.
Freer design for new acoustic solutions
3D printing enables precise control of the shape and pore size of porous materials, and thus of their intrinsic acoustic properties. It also simplifies the design and manufacture of acoustic materials and metamaterials with complex geometries. For example, we can manufacture materials for sound absorption with a folded internal structure. The greater the folding, the better the material's ability to absorb low-frequency sound. We can also simultaneously manufacture several acoustic elements tuned to different frequencies, thus adapting the system's effective frequency range.
Tailor-made development for optimal performance
Using 3D printing, we create tailor made acoustic solutions based on your needs. We design materials, components and products from scratch and optimize them according to the desired properties : sound absorption, insulation, specific frequency range... This level of customization, combined with design freedom, enables us to provide acoustic solutions optimized to meet unique needs.
A wide choice of raw materials for multifunctional acoustic solutions
In most cases, the raw material used to 3D print a solution does not determine its acoustic properties, even if the solution is composed of porous materials. This allows the raw material to be chosen according to the functional attributes required: mechanical or thermal properties, UV resistance, fire resistance, chemical resistance... This is how acoustic solutions become multifunctional.
Rapid prototyping for agile development
Design changes can be implemented quickly and cost-effectively, enabling products to be optimized and refined efficiently. This flexibility accelerates development cycles, reduces time-to-market, and enables more effective exploration of concept variants.
Acoustic metamaterials have received particular attention in recent years due to their unique ability to manipulate and control sound waves. Although there is no consensus on the precise definition, acoustic metamaterials generally refer to engineered materials with unconventional, customized properties that surpass those of traditional acoustic materials.
Additive manufacturing plays an important role in the development of acoustic metamaterials, as it greatly simplifies their production. It also tends to blur the boundaries between acoustic materials and metamaterials.
Sub-wavelength acoustic control for compact solutions
Acoustic metamaterials can handle sound waves on a sub-wavelength scale, i.e. with a thickness well below a quarter of the wavelength. This enables the development of compact acoustic solutions for noise absorption or attenuation.
Band gaps for open insulation solutions
Acoustic metamaterials with a periodic internal structure display band gaps. In the frequency ranges of these band gaps, sound propagation is strongly attenuated. These metamaterials make it possible to block the propagation of unwanted noise, while allowing air and light to circulate through the materials.
Ducts sound absorption solutions
Rather than simply blocking the propagation of sound in a duct and sending it back to the source, some systems can absorb it. Sound is neither reflected upstream nor transmitted downstream: it is absorbed.
Tailor-made acoustic properties to meet specific needs
Acoustic metamaterials are deliberately designed to meet specific performance requirements. They are therefore better suited to meeting unique rather than generic needs. That's why, to unlock the full potential of acoustic metamaterials, it's important to collaborate with experts in the field who can design tailor-made solutions to meet specific needs.
Conventional porous materials are widely used to tackle noise problems. Their acoustic efficiency over wide frequency ranges combined with their low cost and density make them a great choice for generic applications.
However, conventional porous materials are limited by a lack of adaptability, rarely exploitable mechanical properties and undesirable variability in acoustic properties.
Additive manufacturing of porous materials seeks to retain their strengths while reducing their limitations.
Simple geometric control for tailor made acoustic properties
3D printing enables us to control the size and shape of pores in porous materials simply and precisely. We can thus adjust their intrinsic behavior by varying both their porosity and resistivity. To extend the range of possible behaviors even further, we can work on their anisotropy, introduce gradients of properties or even fold their structure!
Precise geometric control for reliable acoustic properties and decentralized production
Once the 3D printer has been calibrated, the materials manufactured do not suffer from dispersion problems: their properties are controlled from one end of the material to the other, and from one batch to the next. What's more, additive manufacturing enables materials to be produced in a decentralized way. There's no need to set up a specialized factory, as one or more geographically distributed 3D printing farms can manufacture materials or finished products from CAD files.
Simple geometric control and wide choice of raw materials for multifunctional acoustic solutions
Controlling the size and shape of pores in porous materials enables their mechanical properties to be fine-tuned. The pores are designed to best respond to the mechanical stresses the material will undergo during operation. What's more, in most cases, the raw material used to 3D print a porous material does not determine its acoustic properties. This allows the raw material to be chosen according to the functional attributes required: mechanical or thermal properties, UV resistance, fire resistance, chemical resistance...
By modeling systems analytically and numerically - COMSOL Multiphysics® - we improve our understanding of their physical mechanisms. What's more, the simultaneous consideration of multiple physical phenomena, reflecting the actual conditions of use of the solutions, enhances the realism of simulations.
Our ability to accurately predict the acoustic behavior of 3D-printed solutions - particularly porous materials - enables us to reduce development times and digitally optimize solutions. In this way, we maximize their efficiency while reducing the need for prototypes and measurement campaigns.