Die Casting Enables Next-Gen Exoskeleton Innovation

Musculoskeletal injuries cost employers over $50 billion annually, especially in jobs requiring constant arm elevation and repetitive motion. To address this, Levitate Technologies developed the Airframe™ exoskeleton — a wearable device that reduces fatigue and injury for industrial and manufacturing workers.

To make it lightweight, durable, and manufacturable at scale, Levitate turned to Dynacast. Through expert design for manufacturability (DFM) and precision die casting, Dynacast helped bring this breakthrough in ergonomic technology to life.

Reducing Fatigue Through Smart Engineering

From automotive plants to assembly lines, millions of professionals work with their arms raised or in static positions for long periods. Traditional braces or stands offer limited relief and can't adequately support the shoulder joint, where most workplace strain occurs.

Levitate's founder, Mark Doyle, envisioned a sleek upper-body exoskeleton that could offload arm weight from the wearer's shoulders, neck, and upper back, redistributing it safely to the body's core. The result was a solution that minimized muscle fatigue and repetitive strain injuries without limiting freedom of movement.

"Anything that relieves fatigue, reduces injury, and makes workers happier is a welcome innovation — and that's exactly what Airframe™ does," says Joseph Zawaideh, VP of Marketing & Business Development at Levitate Technologies.

Designing for Comfort, Strength, and Scalability

For the Airframe™ to succeed globally in the industrial and medical sectors, it needed to be:

• Extremely lightweight to ensure long-term wearability
• Durable enough to withstand constant movement
• Scalable for high-volume production across industries

Finding a manufacturer capable of meeting those exacting standards was critical.

"They had to be the best of the best," says Doyle. "Only a company like Dynacast could provide the precision and load management we needed."

Collaborating with Dynacast: From Design to Manufacture

Dynacast's engineers partnered with Levitate for several months of design for manufacturability (DFM) sessions, refining every component of the Airframe™. Before Dynacast's involvement, no DFM work had been done, but their expertise ensured the rigidity, precision, and performance the exoskeleton required.

The shoulders of the Airframe™ house intricate cassettes with micro components that manage load transfer. These parts had to be both exceptionally strong and ultra-lightweight, similar to the accuracy of surgical instruments, but designed for daily, industrial use.

"The components must withstand significant load while remaining ultralight. Dynacast achieved both," says Zawaideh.

To meet these performance needs, Dynacast used a mix of zinc die casting for high strength and aluminum die casting for weight reduction, resolving complex tolerance and size challenges in the process.

From Prototype to Production

The final Dynacast-built prototype is now in use across real manufacturing environments, where early adopters have reported transformative results. 

"The feedback from global companies has been overwhelmingly positive — they're asking for more," says Zawaideh.

Thanks to Dynacast's precision engineering, the Airframe™ can be manufactured three times lighter than competing exoskeletons, giving Levitate a powerful edge in the growing wearable technology market.

Engineering Lighter, Safer, Smarter Solutions

Exoskeleton technology is redefining workplace ergonomics and safety. By combining Levitate's patented design with Dynacast's advanced die casting and early-stage engineering collaboration, the Airframe™ sets a new benchmark for comfort, safety, and manufacturability.

"We engineer solutions," says Dan Taylor, VP of Global Sales and Commercial Strategy at Dynacast. "Getting involved early allows us to optimize every component and help our partners bring better products to market."

Key Takeaways

• Challenge: Develop a lightweight, durable, and scalable exoskeleton for industrial use
• Solution: Use precision zinc and aluminum die casting guided by Dynacast's DFM expertise
• Result: Airframe™ exoskeleton—three times lighter than competitors and manufacturable at scale