A tubular support for use with a hollow fiber membrane is made with an apparatus that comprises a forming machine and an ultrasonic welding machine. The apparatus may also include a coating nozzle for depositing a dope on the support. In operation, filaments are formed into a tubular structure in which the filaments cross each other in radial and circumferential directions, for example a braid. The filaments are ultrasonically welded together at intersections between them. The support is combined with a polymeric membrane wall to form a hollow fiber membrane.