Agile Ultrasonics specializes in the development, design, and manufacture of cutting-edge robotic end effectors used in mission-critical polymer composite joining applications. Our technology is deployed in tier-one aerospace, US Air Force, and NASA programs. Applications include continuous ultrasonic welding (CUW), shaping, and compacting of high-performance carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (TP) composites for terrestrial and space applications.
Investment Opportunity / Use of Funds
Agile Ultrasonics is backed by Ohio-based angel investors and venture capital firms Rev1 Ventures and JumpStart Ventures and has raised $1M to date. We have an open round and term sheet offering preferred equity available and are actively seeking capital to fund the expansion of our engineering and business development efforts.
Go to Market / Product
Agile Ultrasonics’ go-to-market strategy includes welding system sales, in-house manufacturing as a service, and intellectual property (IP) licensing. Our modular approach to system design supports a dual-use suite of products that are marketed across diverse manufacturing sectors.
Agile’s product offering is a robot-agnostic head or end effector that can be easily adapted to diverse manufacturing environments. Sales and integration occur in collaboration with robotic industry partners and the customer’s in-house engineering and robotic systems support team.
Applications & Materials
Application areas include in-situ welding, consolidating, shaping, sealing, cutting, or compacting along with 3D print applications for lightening and strengthening. Carbon fiber, nylon, or glass reinforced composites across nearly all TP matrixes represent potential use cases. Applicable resin matrixes include high-performance resin systems such as PEEK, LM PAEK, PEKK, PEI, and commodity resin systems such as PC, ABS, and PPV. Aerospace, automotive, industrial, and consumer products and packaging are relevant market segments.
Why Agile Ultrasonics?
At a high level, aerospace and non-aero component makers need high-rate composite materials and joining solutions that eliminate adhesives, fasteners, rivets, and labor to enable lighter, stronger, more versatile materials usage. The reason that Agile Ultrasonics’ approach to joining and shaping TPs is gaining traction is based on scientific research in collaboration with tier-one aerospace, NASA, and US Air Force programs that have demonstrated distinct advantages of Agile’s technology over laser, induction, resistance, and other methods of ultrasonic welding.
Agile’s approach stands apart from mainstream ultrasonic industry OEMs such as Branson, Telsonic, Herrmann, or Dukane. These companies prefer to sell plastic welding systems from a catalog of tried and proven products. The problem is that component makers want to use TP composite materials in formats such as unidirectional tape, woven braid, and preformed components that mainstream OEM systems cannot support. Agile’s focus is to develop ultrasonic systems capable of delivering solutions customers need to join the materials they want to use.
One key differentiator is Agile’s patent-pending process for continuously welding carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composites without the use of energy directors, film resin layers, or other types of inserts. This aspect is a prime enabler of high-rate, low-cost automated composite welding, shaping, or compacting solutions that provide our customers with greater flexibility in materials selection, component design, and process outcome. This is just one example of the company’s growing portfolio of intellectual property, in-house expertise, and trade secrets that provide a competitive advantage for Agile and its customers.
Use Case Examples
Continuous welding of fully formed flat or curvilinear skins to ribs
• Compacting or debulking of composite tape or braid for stamp forming operations
• Sealing of films for composite bagging and consolidation applications
• Strengthening and lightening 3D print applications
• Applicable to aerospace, automotive, industrial, and consumer products
Recent History
Agile first gained revenue traction with NASA and in tier-one commercial aerospace in 2021. This helped lay the groundwork for multiple successes including commercialization of our first robotic end effector in tier-one aerospace in 2024. The company currently has significant traction with the USAF, developing high-rate end-of-arm tool systems that support continuous ultrasonic welding needed in CCA and AAM vehicle applications.
Air Force, NASA, and multiple tier-one aerospace component makers currently support Agile programmatic development of thermoplastic composite welding for terrestrial and in-space applications. In January 2025, Agile received an Air Force award to advance EVTOL propeller manufacturing capabilities under their Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) initiative. Agile systems will be used to compact TP composite braid to near-net shape. Thousands of propellers will be needed to support DoD and commercial EVTOL vehicle needs. Additional structural welding programs for Air Force under its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) initiative are in the planning stages.
Technology Description / Methodology
Agile’s approach is to understand the customer’s composite material needs then develop and optimize the ultrasonic system for their intended use. We are the only company in North America focused on developing solutions in this way.
In-House Capabilities
• IP, know-how, and trade secret development
• Design and build of weld systems and process parameters from inception to deployment
• Manufacture of unique and customized components and tooling
The science of Agile’s continuous ultrasonic welding (CUW) methodology is based on applying intense highly controlled ultrasonic energy, termed “power ultrasonics,” through a robotic effector’s tip or sonotrode. The sonotrode, typically made of steel or titanium, makes physical contact with the material being processed (welded, shaped, compacted, sealed, cut, etc.).
In high-performance composite applications, this contact occurs at 20 kHz or 20,000 times per second. The steel tip impacting the TP composite causes the resin molecules (polymer chains) in the TP matrix to bump into each other and heat the material through thickness. This is referred to as viscoelastic heating and occurs almost instantaneously.
Precise control of the system’s parameters can heat the resin material above its Tg (glass transition temperature). At Tg, polymer (resin) changes from a hard state to a soft rubbery state or vice versa. Above Tg, the polymer chains are mobile and can flow and interconnect with adjacent particles. When the part cools, the resin returns to the hard state and the polymers become locked in, i.e., a weld is formed. Adjusting system parameters allows for varying degrees of welding, shaping, tacking, compacting, or debulking across diverse materials and varied Tg’s.
Agile Ultrasonics’ systems are optimized for customer-specific applications so that the complex processes required to achieve an intended outcome can be closely controlled and scaled to support high-rate advanced materials TP component production needs. Agile’s novel end effector robotically aligns with the intended weld area.
• Sonotrode makes physical contact with material
• Wave interaction generates viscoelastic heating within polymer
• Through thickness heating supports multi-layer welding
• Precise energy per unit area is controlled based on application needs
Summary
Thermoplastic composites are fast becoming the material of choice across broad commercial, defense, and space sectors. These are materials that the world wants to use. Agile is leading the development of ultrasonic systems needed to combine the materials these markets want to use.
Agile Ultrasonics is becoming an essential member of the composite materials supply chain. Our strategy is to be opportunistic and agile in the marketplace as we grow. For investment inquiries, please contact Jim Stratton, President / CEO.
