2. It can bond multiple metals.

Because UAM doesn’t involve high heat, it doesn’t change the microstructure of the
metals used. As a result, UAM can bond dissimilar metals without creating the
mismatches and brittle structures inherent in other metal AM process technologies. A
wide range of material combinations is possible.

3. It can embed sensors and circuitry.

Most incredibly, UAM parts can even be printed with internal sensors and circuitry - a
unique capability in AM. This is not possible in traditional manufacturing, as the strains
and temperatures involved would damage these sensitive components. With UAM,
sensors can be embedded anywhere in a metal structure, giving it many valuable
applications in healthcare, process control, and even the Internet of Things (IoT).

Finally, since UAM requires less hollowing than techniques like SLS, it also wastes less
material.

However, all these come with a price - quite literally. As we noted earlier, the smallest
machine sold by Fabrisonic costs almost $200,000. The company doesn’t list prices for
its larger machines, but organizations can expect to pay a substantially higher amount
for them.

When Do You Need to Use UAM?

Given its ability to bond a wide variety of different metals, UAM has clear applications
in the aerospace and automotive industries. Its capability to produce parts with complex
cooling channels is extremely valuable in these industries and others such as industrial
manufacturing, medical devices, and high-tech equipment.

Further, UAM’s facility to produce parts with in-built sensors and circuitry makes it
highly desirable for producing smart IoT-style devices across a wide range of industries.
Many traditional industries now use a wide array of sensors and tracking devices to
manage operations autonomously, and UAM is often used to produce parts for these
devices.

Of course, as valuable as UAM is, it relies heavily on the manufacturer’s ability to

produce accurate, optimized 3D models. And, given the complexity of many UAM
parts, powerful software is needed to produce these models.

Ready to build powerful UAM functionality and complete, pre-built libraries into your
software and hardware solutions? Contact the experts at Spatial today.