Ultrasonic Consolidation : Status Report on Development of Solid State Net Shape Processing for Direct Manufacturing

摘要

Ultrasonic Consolidation is a solid state additive manufacturing process based on continuous ultrasonic metal welding. Metal foil layers are sequentially laminated to produce net shape objects from common engineering alloys. Most additive manufacturing processes use some form of material phase transformation to achieve the transition from a featureless feedstock to a fit- for-service geometry. This transformation puts practical limits on the range of materials that can be deposited. Ultrasonic Consolidation (UC) on the other hand, achieves laminar deposition using solid state bonding and so can be used in conjunction with a range of thermally delicate or nonequilibrium microstructured materials. This paper documents the status of the process, and some current and emerging applications.