Innovative Acoustic Materials

Acoustic metamaterials exploit their custom-designed architecture to manipulate the propagation of sound.

They enable us to respond to each problem with a solution that is specifically optimized to best meet acoustic and functional requirements.

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 manipulate sound waves by resonance on a sub-wavelength scale, i.e. with a thickness well below a quarter of the wavelength. This makes it possible to develop compact acoustic solutions for noise absorption or attenuation.

Prohibited strips for open soundproofing solutions

Acoustic metamaterials with a periodic internal structure have band gaps. In the frequency ranges of these band gaps, the propagation of sound is greatly attenuated. These metamaterials make it possible to block the propagation of undesirable noise while allowing air and light to circulate.

Absorbent duct solutions

Rather than simply blocking the propagation of sound in a duct and sending it back to the source, acoustic metamaterials 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 achieve desired performance. 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 work with experts in the field who can design bespoke solutions to meet specific needs.

Conventional porous materials are widely used to solve noise problems. Their acoustic efficiency over wide frequency ranges combined with their low cost and density make them a very good 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 aims to retain the strengths of conventional porous materials while improving their adaptability and mechanical strength.

Simple geometric control for tailor-made acoustic properties

3D printing makes it possible to control the size and shape of pores in porous materials, particularly structured porous materials, simply and precisely. We can thus adjust their intrinsic behavior by varying both their porosity and their resistivity. To extend the range of possible behaviors even further, we can work on their anisotropy, the introduction of property gradients or even the folding of 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 is no need to set up a dedicated factory, as one or more geographically distributed 3D printing departments can manufacture the materials or finished products from digital drawings.

Simple geometric control and a 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 adjusted. The pores are designed to respond as well as possible to the mechanical stresses that the material will undergo during its use. Furthermore, in the majority of cases, the raw material used to 3D print a porous material does not determine its acoustic properties. This means that the raw material can be chosen according to the functional attributes required: mechanical or thermal properties, UV resistance, fire resistance, chemical resistance, etc.