The key features of our AM technology come from non-melting, solid-state SMAM that uses high-intensity, focused, ultrasonic energy to bond dissimilar materials through instantaneous atomic diffusion without a melting or liquefying process in the additive building process. Our technology is scalable in that the dimension of a single point (or voxel) varies from micron to centimeter-scale, depending on target applications. Also, we have shown our technology capable of dissimilar material bonding voxel-by-voxel or strip-by-stripe (e.g., copper foil on a polymer), leading us to invent a new PCB AM technology.
multifunctional ensemble head (MEH)
A multifunctional ensemble head (MEH) capable of high-precision, multiple-material, multifunction printing, including laser metrology to verify dimension, NDE inspection to identify a structural defect, corrective milling when dimensional errors on printed slices exist, and part removal.
Microgravity Multiple-Materials Additive Manufacturing (M3AM) Prototype
Fabricated final NASA prototype capable of feeding and cutting wire, bonding metallic wires, and bonding plastics with an FDM head; The nano-precision motion platform has encoders and can hold a position on the order of nanometers;
Aerospace Grade Metal AM
In general, aerospace-grade aluminum alloys, AA7075 and AA6061, have been very difficult to weld with melting methods, including EBM and resistive welding. With our SMAM, we have achieved strong bonding for building without special treatment. We successfully assembled a high-quality bonding block of AA 6061 with a size of 15 × 15 × 2.5 mm. We are currently working on building a more complex geometry with AA7075.