Product Code: ICAL07_M1106

Optical Trapping for Engineering Manufacture
Authors:
Stuart Edwardson, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Martin Sharp, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Walter Perrie, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Geoff Dearden, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
David Whitehead, The University of Manchester; Manchester Great Britain
Z B Wang, The University of Manchester; Manchester Great Britain
Philip Crouse, The University of Manchester; Manchester Great Britain
Z Lui, The University of Manchester; Manchetser Great Britain
Ken G. Watkins, The University of Liverpool; Liverpool Great Britain
Lin Li, The University of Manchester; Manchester Great Britain
Presented at ICALEO 2007

Since their invention just over 20 years ago, optical traps have emerged as a powerful tool with broad-reaching applications in biology, physics and now potentially engineering. Capabilities have evolved from simple manipulation to the application of calibrated forces onand the measurement of nanometer-level displacements of optically trapped objects. The newly formed North West Laser Engineering Consortium (NWLEC), a strategic alliance between the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester in the North West of England UK, has an ongoing research programme to demonstrate the engineering capabilities of this non-contact micro-manipulation technique for micro-assembly and manufacture. In this paper the principle of operation, the current capabilities and current work in optical trapping for engineering manufacture by NWLEC are detailed.