All articles starting with U

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing

Ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM), also called ultrasonic consolidation, is a solid-state metal 3D printing process that welds metal foils layer by layer without melting, allowing dissimilar metals and embedded electronics.

Ultrasonic atomization

Ultrasonic atomization is the ejection of droplets under 10 µm from a liquid surface subjected to ultrasound, used in medical nebulizers, humidifiers, and precision spray coating.

Oct 22, 2026

Ultrasonic cavitation-assisted casting

Ultrasonic cavitation-assisted casting, also known as ultrasonic melt treatment, uses high-intensity ultrasound in molten metal to refine grain structure, remove dissolved gas, and disperse particles, with proven industrial use on aluminum and magnesium alloys.

Ultrasonic cleaning

Ultrasonic cleaning is a cleaning process using 20 to 400 kHz sound waves to agitate liquid, where collapsing cavitation bubbles dislodge contaminants from delicate items like surgical instruments, semiconductor wafers, optics, and jewelry.

Ultrasonic dispersion

Ultrasonic dispersion is a materials processing method that uses high-frequency sound waves in a liquid to break up particle agglomerates and distribute particles uniformly through a suspension.

Ultrasonic distance sensor

An ultrasonic distance sensor measures how far away an object is by timing the echo of an ultrasonic sound burst, a low-cost, non-contact method used in cars, robots, and industrial equipment.

Ultrasonic flowmeter

An ultrasonic flowmeter is a device that measures fluid velocity in a pipe from the effect of flow on sound waves, using transit-time or Doppler principles.

Ultrasonic grating

An ultrasonic grating, or acoustic grating, is a periodic modulation of refractive index produced by ultrasound in a transparent liquid, diffracting light like a diffraction grating.

Ultrasonic imaging

Ultrasonic imaging, or sonography, is a diagnostic method that images internal body structures in real time using high-frequency sound pulses and their echoes.

Ultrasonic machining

Ultrasonic machining (USM) is a nontraditional manufacturing process that removes material from hard, brittle workpieces using a tool vibrating at ultrasonic frequency through abrasive slurry.

Ultrasonic measurement

Ultrasonic measurement determines wall thickness, distance, liquid level, and flow velocity by launching sound waves into a material and reading the echoes that return, widely used for corrosion inspection.

Ultrasonic motor

An ultrasonic motor is an actuator that uses piezoelectric ceramics vibrating at ultrasonic frequencies to turn a rotor by friction, known for low-speed, high-torque output.

Ultrasonic sensor

An ultrasonic sensor is a device that measures distance by emitting an ultrasonic sound pulse and timing the echo's return, used in car parking aids, tank level measurement, and robot obstacle avoidance.

Ultrasonic spot welding

Ultrasonic spot welding is a solid-state joining process that bonds overlapping metal sheets at discrete points with high-frequency vibration and pressure, without melting, and is used in lithium-ion battery assembly.

Ultrasonic spray coating

Ultrasonic spray coating is a thin-film deposition method in which a piezoelectric nozzle atomizes liquid into a fine mist, forming films as thin as 30 nm.

Oct 21, 2026

Ultrasonic Surgical Procedures

Ultrasonic surgical procedures (ultrasonic surgery, ultrasound surgery) use 20-60 kHz high-energy shock waves to cut, fragment, or remove tissue by mechanical cavitation rather than heat, via devices such as the HARMONIC scalpel, ultrasonic aspirators, and phacoemulsification.

Ultrasonic synthesis

Ultrasonic synthesis is a chemistry method that uses high-frequency sound waves to drive or accelerate material preparation, most often nanomaterials, through acoustic cavitation, the implosive collapse of bubbles in a liquid.

Ultrasonic testing

Ultrasonic testing (UT), or ultrasonic inspection, is a volumetric non-destructive testing method that probes materials with high-frequency sound, typically 0.5 to 25 MHz, to find internal flaws.

Ultrasonic tomography

Ultrasonic tomography, or ultrasound computed tomography (USCT), reconstructs internal sound speed and attenuation maps from ultrasonic waves, used mainly for breast imaging and testing concrete.

Ultrasonic transducer

An ultrasonic transducer, also called an ultrasonic probe, is a device that converts electrical energy into ultrasound and back, used in medical imaging, sonar, and nondestructive testing.

Oct 22, 2026

Ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser additive manufacturing

Ultrasonic vibration-assisted laser additive manufacturing applies high-frequency ultrasound above 20 kHz during laser additive processes such as powder bed fusion, refining grains and reducing porosity and cracking.

Ultrasonic welding

Ultrasonic welding, also known as ultrasonic bonding, is a fast joining process using high-frequency vibrations to weld thermoplastics and metals, used in packaging, medical devices, and batteries.

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction

Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) is a sample preparation technique using ultrasound-generated cavitation to speed the transfer of target compounds from solid or liquid matrices into a solvent.

Ultrasonography

Ultrasonography, also called sonography, is a portable, radiation-free imaging method using high-frequency sound waves to visualize internal organs and tissues, guide procedures, and diagnose conditions at the bedside.

Ultrasonography of chronic venous insufficiency of the legs

Duplex ultrasonography (DUS) of chronic venous insufficiency of the legs, also called venous duplex or venous mapping, is the reference-standard ultrasound test for venous reflux, using segment-specific cutoffs (>500 ms superficial, >1 s deep) with the patient standing.