Chain mail is an interesting type of fabric, having both strength and flexibility. The problem is its difficult to make.
Here's a simple way to make chain mail that would make mass production easy.
Step 1. make rings of two different materials. One material is strong, the other is soluble or having a low melting point (e.g. gallium).
Step 2. Stick rings in an alternating stack.
Step 3. Cut the ring stack axially
Step 4. Skew the ring stack so that one end of the first ring is adjacent one end of the next ring and so on. Attach the ends together (e.g. fuse with heat). This makes an alternating material helix.
Step 5. Stretch the helices.
Step 6. Enmesh helices (e.g. wind one helix through the next).
Step 7. Dissolve or melt the soluble material.
Step 8. Chain mail is formed.
See illustrations.
Could be used for very small chain links to make a smooth fabric. Could also be used to make 3 dimensional chain mail.-- xaviergisz, Aug 31 2019 illustrations https://imgur.com/gallery/SW8NBRD [xaviergisz, Aug 31 2019] Chain matrix [xaviergisz, Aug 31 2019] Welded chain mail glove (< $90) https://www.amazon..../dp/B000NNT2GW?th=1 [scad mientist, Aug 31 2019] Ring cut pattern https://i.imgur.com/rhvoPeN.png [xaviergisz, Dec 07 2021] 3 dimensional chain mail would provide great protection against being stabbed through time.-- pertinax, Aug 31 2019 Sounds like you end up with all unclosed rings. There will continue to be a market for handmade chain mail, just because of that.-- notexactly, Aug 31 2019 I suspect that there are already automated methods of creating welded chain mail. Otherwise a butchers glove would cost much more than $90. [link] That looks like a good one made in Germany "with hermetically sealed micro plasma welds." There are a lot of cheaper ones as well, but I didn't look at them all to see if any of those were also welded.-- scad mientist, Aug 31 2019 Knitting machines are quite cleverly complex. Adding a weld at the right time seems trivial. But if your process mechatronics is simpler, you're onto a winner.-- wjt, Aug 31 2019 As an alternative to the axial cut (step 3), and attach ends (step 4), it would be better to make a 'toothed' cut (shown in the illustration in most recent link). The rings thus interlock to form the helix with a stronger connection that just the straight axial cut.-- xaviergisz, Dec 07 2021 As per [notexactly] above, I think if you "un-skew" after the winding through & before the dissolving, you can get back to closed rings but still interlinked. Not sure about the HOW...-- neutrinos_shadow, Dec 07 2021 The permanent segments of the helix are resilient so when the temporary segments of each helix are removed, the resilient metal forms back into rings. The 'toothed' cut will guide and align the ends of the rings together. This will of course still be the weakest part of the ring.-- xaviergisz, Dec 07 2021 I think I get it. I like it, although attaching the next ring segment might prove challenging.
<daily kvetch warning>I would comment on imgur about your postings but they still will not tell me why my ability to do so has been taken from me.<daily kvetch warning has now passed>-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 07 2021 random, halfbakery