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Fabrisonic

HardwareColumbus, Ohio, USAFounded 2011· One of 1733 Hardware companies tracked by AMPulse

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing that uses sound-based welding to join dissimilar metals without melting, enabling unique material integration and gradient part production.

CEO / Founder
Jason Riley
Team Size
1-10
Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
$10M
Latest Round
Acquired
Key Investors
United Performance Metals (Acquirer)

Technology & Products

Key Products

SonicLayer UAM machines (SL1200, SL1600, SL4000, SL7200), Ultrasonic additive manufacturing solutions, Space-grade 3D Metal Printed Heat Exchangers, Building Fiber Optic Strain Sensors into Metal

Technological Advantage

Utilizes ultrasonic vibrations to weld metal foils without thermal distortions, enabling sensor embedding and integration of multiple metals.

Patent position

Fabrisonic filed 2 patent families in 2022–2024, down from 9 in 2019–2021, a 78% fall versus a 24% fall in tracked AM filings in the same patent offices. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
2 families filed 2022–2024, 9 in 2019–2021 (-78%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -24%
Filed in
US 42%WO 33%EP 25%
Named competitors, AM patent families
Markforged 833D Systems 300HP 16

12 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Provides a low-temperature, solid-state process that preserves metal properties, avoids thermal distortions, and allows for sensor embedding in critical components.

How They Differentiate

Differentiates through its unique ultrasonic welding process that eliminates the need for melting, preserving metal properties and enabling multi-material integration.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Companies in aerospace, defense, space, automotive, and other high-performance industries

Industry Verticals

Aerospace, Defense, Space, Automotive, Medical (potential), Power Generation (potential)

Competitors

Markforged; 3D Systems; HP

Growth & Milestones

Major Milestones

Founded as a spin-off from Edison Welding Institute (EWI) in 2011, Patented development of ultrasonic additive manufacturing processes, Acquisition by UPM

Notable Customers

The Boeing Company, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

https://fabrisonic.com

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
12
Granted
5
Families
12

Leading domains: process (8), material (7), equipment (3)

Filings by year: 2022: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2014: 1

  1. SYSTEMS AND DEVICES FOR QUALITY MONITORING OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES2020222875 · WO
  2. HIGH-EFFICIENCY WELDING ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN ULTRASONIC ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING04192627 · EP
  3. Method for using soluble sacrificial materials in ultrasonic additive manufacturing12257652 · US
  4. SYSTEMS AND DEVICES FOR QUALITY MONITORING OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES03962716 · EP
  5. SOLUBLE SACRIFICIAL MATERIALS FOR USE IN ULTRASONIC ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING20200306897 · US

Funding rounds

  • Series A$10.0M2014-01-20Lead: Sequoia
  • Seed$2.0M2012-03-15Lead: Angel Investor

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Fabrisonic occupies a niche in metal additive manufacturing by using ultrasonic vibrations to weld metal foils at room temperature. This solid-state process avoids the thermal distortions and phase changes common in LPBF or DED, preserving the original mechanical properties of materials like Inconel 718 and Ti-6Al-4V. The technology is particularly suited for applications where dissimilar metals must be joined or where internal features such as fiber optic strain sensors must be embedded directly into a metal component.

The company's SonicLayer machine line includes models such as the SL1200, SL1600, SL4000, and SL7200, which build parts layer by layer from metal foil stock. Because the process does not rely on melting, it can integrate materials with very different melting points or thermal conductivities, enabling functionally graded parts and hybrid metal structures. Fabrisonic has also developed space-grade 3D metal printed heat exchangers and methods for embedding sensors into metal parts during the build.

Fabrisonic's primary customers are in aerospace, defense, and space, with named clients including The Boeing Company and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The automotive and power generation sectors represent adjacent opportunities. The company was founded in 2011 as a spin-off from the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) and was later acquired by United Performance Metals (UPM), which provides access to a broad metal supply chain.

The key competitive differentiator is the ultrasonic welding process itself, which enables multi-material integration and sensor embedding that melt-based AM processes cannot replicate. Competitors such as Markforged, 3D Systems, and HP address broader metal AM markets but do not offer a solid-state, low-temperature alternative. The main open question is whether Fabrisonic can scale its build volumes and throughput to move beyond prototyping and low-volume production into higher-rate manufacturing for tier-1 aerospace and defense primes.