NASA scientists work hard to ensure its hardware is as reliable as possible. With that in mind, NASA turned to ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) to improve reliability in heat exchangers.
With UAM, the entire heat exchanger can be crafted as a single piece. Columbus, Ohio-based Fabrisonic started with an existing process that builds up multiple thin layers of metal by fusing them together with high-frequency vibrations. To create the heat exchanger, a curved channel is carved into the layered metal and then enclosed under additional layers.
Learn more about UAM here.