Wire Mesh

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Wire mesh is fabricated by the intertwining, weaving, or welding of wires of various thicknesses to create proportionally equal parallel rows and intersecting columns. Also known as wire fabric, wire cloth, or hardware mesh, the production of wire mesh involves the weaving of wire on industrial looms, leaving square or rectangular gaps between the wires. Welded wire mesh or fabric is manufactured using an electric welder that joins parallel longitudinal wires where the wires intersect.
There are a limitless number of shapes, sizes, and configurations of wire mesh made from an assortment of highly durable and resilient materials whose major function is to separate, screen, structure, and shield various applications and processes. The types of wire include galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminum, steel, and copper alloy wire. The type of application, necessary tensile strength, durability, longevity, and required flexibility are some of the factors used to determine the desired type and style of wire.

How Wire Mesh is Made

The processes used to produce wire mesh are weaving and welding, with wire weaving being similar to the weaving of cloth on a loom, while welding is used to join the wires where they intersect. Both processes are completed using pre-programmed machines.

Wire Weaving — Near the end of the 17th century, woven wire cloth for the mining and pulp industries came into high demand, leading to the development of wire weaving looms. Over the centuries, the use for wire mesh has advanced beyond mines and pulp mills to architecture, plastic extrusion, aggregate screening, and filtration processing. The rise in demand has led to the modern industrial wire weaving industry.
Weaving Loom — Weaving looms weave mesh rolls with widths of 48”, 60”, 72”, 98”, or wider. The loom has a warp beam, heddle frames, a reed, a rapier for transporting weft wire, and a take-up mechanism. Manufacturers use looms to weave meshes of standard and custom patterns. The completed mesh rolls are cut to varying lengths depending on the needs of customer specifications. Wires woven horizontally or lengthwise are warp wires, while wires woven vertically or crosswise are referred to as weft wires or shute wires, terms commonly used in textile manufacturing.
Warp Beam — The warp beam is a cylindrical drum wrapped with the warp wires. The warp beam’s tension must be meticulously controlled to avoid elongation of the woven mesh. The number of warp wires varies depending on the mesh width and must be kept the same length.
Heddle Frames — The heddle frames separate the wires that are fed by the warp beam. Most looms have two heddle frames, with one used to lift half of the warp wires while the other pulls the warp wires down. The heddle frames change position as the weft wires move across the warp wires.
Rapier Band — The weft wires are carried across the full width of the cloth by the rapier at each cycle of the heddle frame. It feeds a single weft wire between the sets of warp wires.
Reed — The reed keeps the warp wires from the warp beam in place and accurately spaced and separated. Once the weft wire moves across the warp wires, the reed beats the weft wires tightly in place in the wire cloth.
Take-Up — The take-up mechanism is a set of rollers that takes the fabric away from the loom with a pickup roller and two other rollers that work together to wind the cloth to the cloth roller. The fabric is wound in single layers with a smooth flat surface created by it being passed through the set of rollers.

Once the loom has been assembled and the warp beam loaded, the weaving process is completed automatically. As the loom begins, the warp beam unwinds in slow, even increments. In unison with the warp beam feeding the warp wire, the take-up mechanism winds the woven completed cloth in the same increments as the warp beam. The synchronized motion helps the loom maintain tension on the warp wires, which is a critical necessity for the production of high-quality cloth.

Types of Wire Mesh

The different kinds of wire mesh are classified by how they were made, their qualities, function, and weave patterns. Each of the various types is designed to meet the strength, weight, and finish requirements of a project or application. The determining factors regarding the type of wire mesh that will be used are its finish, type of metal, and type of pattern, with finish and metal being the major determining factors.

Plain weave

Plain weave is the simplest and most common woven wire mesh. Each wire alternately passes over and under adjacent wires in both horizontal (weft) and vertical (warp) directions.

Twill weave

This weave forms a diagonal pattern by alternating each weft wire over two and under two warp wires, creating a tighter mesh with a higher wire count, ideal for filtration.

Dutch weave

Dutch weave mesh, used for fine particle filtration, features a higher wire count in the warp direction and a smooth, dense surface due to thicker warp wires and thinner weft wires.

The Product Range

We have a vast inventory of woven wire mesh available in a wide range of mesh specifications. Our rolls of woven wire stainless steel mesh are readily available for immediate delivery. We maintain a huge stock of mesh with mesh counts ranging from 2 mesh with a 1.6 mm wire diameter to 500 mesh with a 0.025 mm wire diameter. These specifications provide apertures from 11.1 mm down to 0.002 mm (2 microns).

In addition to stainless steel, we also stock woven wire mesh in a variety of other materials, including brass, phosphor bronze, copper, monel, aluminium, galvanized iron (GI)and nylon. We offer Type 304 and Type 316 stainless steel mesh in most specifications.

At our company, we strive to provide our customers with high-quality woven wire mesh that meets their unique needs and specifications. With our extensive inventory and knowledgeable team, we are confident that we can help you find the right mesh for your application. Contact us today to learn more about our products and services.