Methods for forming a wick

A method of forming an annular wick for a heat pipe, the method comprising:

• forming a plurality of layers of wick material around an elongate rod, the elongate rod defining an outside diameter;
• placing the elongate rod and the plurality of layers of wick material into a central die opening of an annular die assembly, the central die opening defining an inside diameter;
• placing the elongate rod, the plurality of layers of wick material, and the annular die assembly into a central clamp opening of a clamp, wherein the clamp is configured to hold the elongate rod, the plurality of layers of wick material, and the annular die assembly together, wherein an annular gap is defined between the inside diameter of the annular die assembly and the outside diameter of the elongate rod based on the elongate rod and the plurality of layers of wick material being positioned in the central die opening;
• and
• heating the elongate rod, the plurality of layers of wick material, the annular die assembly, and the clamp to thermally expand the elongate rod toward the central die opening of the annular die assembly such that the annular gap shrinks a predetermined amount to compress the plurality of layers of wick material between the elongate rod and the central die opening of the annular die assembly.