More than a dozen years ago, EWI worked on an innovative concept that applied ultrasonic welding to successive layers of metal tape to build up a solid, three-dimensional shape. This additive technique had the ability to join different metals together and enabled in-process machining of the part. Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) was patented, and in 2011 EWI’s metal 3D printing spinout, Fabrisonic, was born.
Since its inception, Fabrisonic has developed four SonicLayer UAM machines of different sizes/capacities and has been awarded nine patents. While independent from its parent, Fabrisonic has been incubated within the walls of EWI’s Columbus facility. Last month, however, the company announced its move to a 30,000 square-foot facility in Lewis Center, Ohio. With steadily increasing business, the move offers the required floor space for extended manufacturing capacity in the coming years.
The new location enables Fabrisonic to optimize its manufacturing operations and better configure the existing equipment for serial production runs. The staff remains virtually unchanged. “The across-town move does not adversely impact Fabrisonic employees, and has allowed the company to maintain access to its current talent pool and attract new employees to accommodate growth,” said Mark Norfolk, Fabrisonic president and CEO. “Although it’s time for us to spread our wings and move out of mom and dad’s basement, we’re staying close to our hometown engineering roots.” Fabrisonic also upgraded its entire IT infrastructure to a higher security platform that meets government sensitive data requirements.
if you would like to tour Fabrisonic’s new facility or learn more about its capabilities and services, visit www.fabrisonic.com.