Ultrasonic 3D Printing Used for Sensor Embedding Within Metal

A company called Fabrisonic is using a process called ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) for several very interesting applications. One such application is the embedding of sensors into metal fabricated objects. Typically it's a difficult process because the heat caused from welding can ruin the sensors. Fabrisonic however, is using sound waves to merge layers of metal foil, to construct the metal around the delicate sensors. More details on this process can be read about here: http://3dprint.com/12075/ultrasonic-3d-printing-uam/

According to Fabrisonic the new ultrasonic additive manufacturing method has many benefits which includes the following:

• Tamperproof, ultra-rugged enclosures
• Complex internal geometries
• Fully enclosed, sealed internal cavity creation and object embedding
• Dissimilar material joining
• Low temperature process enables electronics embedding
• Non-destructive, fully-encapsulating fiber embedding

What potential impact could UAM have on the manufacturing industry in general? A UAM machine is depicted below:
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...facturiing.jpg