Additive manufacturing feedstock production system for reactive wire and related methods

Abstract

An additive manufacturing feedstock production system includes a transition roller configured to combine reactive metal foils into combined reactive metal foils with a first combined thickness. The additive manufacturing feedstock production system includes a work roller configured to compress the combined reactive metal foils to a second combined thickness less than the first combined thickness, and a first processing module configured to segment and stack the combined reactive metal foils into stacked reactive metal foils, and feed the stacked reactive metal foils into the work roller. The work roller is configured to repeatedly compress the stacked reactive metal foils into compressed stacked reactive metal foils with a stacked thickness equal to the second combined thickness. The additive manufacturing feedstock production system has a second processing module configured to segment the compressed stacked reactive metal foils into a wire feedstock. An alternative first processing module downstream from the work roller is configured to roll the combined reactive metal foils into rolled reactive metal foils. A work groove roller is downstream from the first processing module and configured repeatedly compress the rolled reactive metal foils into compressed rolled reactive metal foils with a roll diameter equal to a groove diameter into a wire feedstock.