From left, Muthukumaran Packirisamy, Mohsen Habibi and Shervin ForoughiConcordia researchers have developed a new 3D-printing technique that uses sound waves to directly print tiny structures onto soft polymers like silicone with far greater precision than before.
The approach, called proximal sound printing, opens new possibilities for manufacturing microscale devices used in health care, environmental monitoring and advanced sensors. It is described in the Nature journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering,
The technique relies on focused ultrasound to trigger chemical reactions that solidify liquid polymers exactly where printing is needed. Unlike conventional methods that rely on heat or light, sound-based 3D-printing works with key materials used in microfluidic devices, lab-on-a-chip systems and soft electronics that are hard to print at small scales.
This work builds on the research team's earlier breakthrough in direct sound printing, which first showed that ultrasound could be used to cure polymers on demand. While that earlier method demonstrated the concept, it struggled with limited resolution and consistency. The new proximal approach places the sound source much closer to the printing surface, allowing far tighter control.
As a result, the researchers produced features up to 10 times smaller than previous methods, while using significantly less power and improving repeatability.
The improved precision makes it possible to print complex microfluidic channels, flexible sensors and multi-material structures in a single process. In the future, the method could support faster prototyping of medical diagnostic devices, wearable technologies and soft robotic components, offering manufacturers a simpler and more versatile way to produce microscale systems.
This study received financial support from a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery grant.
Shervin Foroughi, PhD 2025, and Muthukumaran Packirisamy, a professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science, and Mohsen Habibi from the University of California at Davis wrote the paper.
Read the cited paper: "New sound-based 3D printing method enables finer, faster microdevices"
