Application of design for manufacture and assembly methodologies to complex aerospace products

An invention is described in which a method and apparatus are disclosed for guiding, trapping, concentrating and separating particles. The method comprises containing particles in a gas, liquid, or other fluid medium, projecting a beam of light into the particles, inducing the beam of light to impart a spinning motion to the particles, generating a field density gradient in the fluid medium thereby trapping the particles in the beam of light, guiding the particles on the beam of light, concentrating the particles at a focal plane of the beam, and if desired, separating the particles into groups by size and density. Particles are caused to spin and interact with the energy gradient of the beam of light, causing them to orbit in a controlled manner. A preferred apparatus utilizes a chamber, a switching mechanism under a vacuum or partial vacuum, a light source such as a laser or a plurality of lasers, and a lens or a plurality of lenses may be used. Other embodiments utilize various light sources with or without lenses.