Design and Test of a Multi-Axis Acoustic-Levitation Device for Non-Contact Dust Removal from Precision Instruments

Abstract

To resolve the issues of the conventional dust removing method, such as electrostatic suspension and direct wiping with special lens paper, which can cause damage to precision instruments and their dependence on specific dust particle properties, we present a novel acousticlevitation device design which incorporates an initial design of a multi-axis levitation device by Marzo. A. with our enhancement model based on the variation of transducers numbers and their spacing to achieve the dust removing efficiency and feasibility in real dust removal process. In this work, modeling simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics and light absorbance experiment are performed to evaluate the distribution of acoustic fields, trajectory of dust particles, and dust removing efficiency. With the manufactured device based on our design, the varying factors are characterized that may influence the removing efficiency when output voltage generated onto motor driven board is altered. Experiment shows 27.5 V is the most efficient voltage output with highest dust removal proportion in actual removing operations. The study demonstrates our design can achieve higher dust removing efficiency comparing to conventional methods. Whereas our design serves the purpose to solve a practical industrial problem, this paper also shows how it can be taken into the classroom as an demonstration experiment, providing an animated way to visualize the nodes and antinodes by the levitation position of particles, which help the students to not only understand the physical properties of standing waves, but also the connection from a classroom lab to an industrial solution.