Continuous ultrasonic additive manufacturing

A method of manufacturing transition structures including fiber threads embedded within a metal component, the method comprising:

• receiving, from a supply of base sheet metal, a base metallic layer at a conveyor supported on a plurality of rollers and configured to move the base sheet metal in a production direction;
• creating, by a channel forming device, a channel in the base metallic layer;
• inserting, by a fiber inserting device, a portion of a fiber material into the channel;
• receiving a metallic foil at each of a plurality of ultrasonic weld heads along the conveyor;
• ultrasonically welding the metallic foil to the base metallic layer over the portion at each of the plurality of ultrasonic weld heads to form a new base metallic layer enclosing the portion of the fiber material in the channel;
• and
• advancing the base metallic layer along the conveyor, wherein the creating, inserting, receiving, an ultrasonically welding are performed at a plurality of stages arranged in the production direction.