Cold spray additive manufacturing of multi-material electrical contacts

A method of forming an electrical contact, the method comprising:

• operating a material feeder on a friction stir additive device to release a feed of a first metal and a second metal onto a substrate while each of the metals is in a solid state, yielding a material column,
• wherein the material feeder comprises a receiver defined by a rotatable shoulder, and
• wherein operating the material feeder on the friction stir additive device to release the feed of the first and second metals onto a substrate comprises:
• applying pressure to the first and second metals in the receiver, and
• rotating the material feeder shoulder around the first and second metals,
• to form a solid state bond between the first and second metals, and releasing the metals onto the substrate while maintaining the material column at a temperature that is below the melting temperature of both the first and second metals, thereby yielding an electrical contact.