Ultrasonic additive manufacturing - a hybrid production process for novel functional products

Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (UAM), or Ultrasonic Consolidation as it is also referred, is a hybrid form of manufacture, primarily for metal components. The unique nature of the process permits extremely novel functionality to be realised such as multi-material structures with embedded componentry. UAM has been subject to research and investigation at Loughborough University since 2001. This paper introduces UAM then details a number of key findings in a number of areas that have been of particular focus at Loughborough in recent years. These include; the influence of pre-process material texture on interlaminar bonding, secure fibre positioning through laser machined channels, and freeform electrical circuitry integration.