What are the Properties of Wire Mesh?
What are the Properties of Wire Mesh?
Wire mesh is used to craft everyday workplace solutions. An interweaved series of metal-based wires creates a parallel gapped sheet that’s accommodating to movement from bulk products and versatile in manufacturing environments.
Wire Mesh Production
Two specific methods produce wire mesh:
The first is weaving. Woven wire mesh producers employ industrial looms to incorporate patterns with the wire components. These patterns produce a sheet of wire that is then sized and rolled.
The second method is welding—the metal wire components bond through electrical molding processes at intersection points in this wire mesh type. Welded is the more durable of the two.
Welded Wire Mesh Products - Welded Utility Mesh
Along with woven wire mesh, welded wire mesh is one of the two main types of wire cloth products. Welded wire mesh is typically the less expensive of the two materials. It consists of a grid pattern featuring a series of parallel longitudinal wires that are welded together at the point where the wires intersect. The strength and thickness of the weld are determined by factors such as weld pressure, time and temperature. Welded wire mesh can also be bent or cut to form a variety of shapes without causing the wires to come apart.
Welded Wire Mesh Benefits
Welded wire mesh’s mat-like design and construction enables it to remain firmly in place even when holding heavy materials such as concrete. It works well in bending applications, as the mat is bent as a single unit instead of a series of pieces. This also minimizes the risk of misplacement. Welded wire mesh offers a cost-effective alternative, as it requires less reinforcement than when using steel bars.
Welded wire cloth is also easier to work with than many other types of metal materials. Welded wire fabric is quick and simple to install and is not easily displaced by workers laying concrete. The ease of use can reduce completion time and help projects remain on budget. Faster construction time also minimizes the exposure of building components to the elements, resulting in higher-quality work.
You’ll be able to complete more work with less field labor, which frees up manpower, material, equipment, and resources for other areas of your project.
Welded Wire Mesh Applications
Welded wire mesh’s combination of low cost, ease of use and versatility makes it a popular choice for many different applications.
Fences and gates: You’ll find welded wire mesh fences and gates installed at residences and all types of commercial and industrial properties.
Architectural uses such as building facades: Although welded wire fabric is known for its strength and durability, architects and designers often use it to enhance aesthetic appeal.
Architectural Wire Mesh for Green Building Design: Using welded wire mesh can help achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits and certification.
Infill panels for railings and divider walls: Woven wire infill panels are used often as partitions or divider walls due to its clean and sometimes modern look.
Animal control: Farmers, ranchers and animal control professionals use fencing made from welded wire mesh to contain livestock and stray animals.
Screens for doors and windows: Welded wire mesh screens provide a sturdy material and effective insect control when installed in windows.
Machine guards: Use welded wire cloth guards for industrial machinery.
Shelving and partitions: Welded wire mesh’s strength and stability enable it to serve as shelving for storing heavy products and as partitions that promote visibility.
Behind-the-scenes use in plumbing, walls and ceilings: Wire mesh provides support for pipes installed in the walls and ceilings of a structure.
Gardens to keep bugs away from their plants and vegetables: Mesh with a low open area percentage serves as a screen that prevents insects from destroying plants.
Agriculture: To serve as barrier fencing, corn cribs, livestock shade panels and temporary holding pens.
Woven Wire Mesh vs. Welded Wire Mesh: What's Right for Me?
Architectural Wire Mesh and welded wire mesh are both design materials that can provide structure with a unique aesthetic while also allowing designers to tackle other areas of concern, such as visitor safety and regulation compliance. That said, when looking beyond the mesh title, these materials are entirely different and designed with different applications in mind.
To properly utilize them, you must first understand how exactly woven wire mesh and welded wire mesh differ. Failure to understand can lead to the implementation of the wrong material, and your design will not stand the test time.
With that, this article will cover the following:
What woven wire mesh is
How woven wire mesh is made
How woven wire mesh is used
What welded wire mesh is
How welded wire mesh is made
How welded wire mesh is used
How woven wire and welded wire mesh compare in price
What Is Woven Wire Mesh?
Woven wire mesh is defined as a predetermined amount of stainless steel wires interlocked together, forming a specific design on a sheet of mesh with exact square openings. When architectural mesh, in particular, is woven, you can control several characteristics of the mesh, including the wire diameter, alloy type, panel length, and weave pattern/style.
This level of customization makes integrating wire mesh while adhering to the many regulations surrounding architectural design simple.
How Is Woven Wire Mesh Woven?
When weaving woven wire architectural mesh, operators first wrap the predetermined count of individual wires onto a warp beam that will feed the specialized weaving loom designed to handle stainless steel wires. These wires are then threaded through the heddle frames that divide the wires in a way that allows the specified weave pattern to be achieved.
The operators must then take the time and carefully thread each wire through a read that keeps the wires in place while also driving the horizontal weft wire into place. It should be noted that, depending on the weave type, setting up the reed can take several days as misplacing, just one wire can compromise the integrity of the mesh.
As the loom weaves, the heddle frames drive the sets of wires up and down in alternating cycles, allowing the weft wire to be driven between the groups of wires. Once this happens, the heddle frames snap into the opposite position and lock the weft wire into place.
Applications
Woven wire mesh can be woven to accommodate virtually any architectural design need. However, as the wires used to construct the architectural mesh get finer, the durability decreases.
If you desire to use the ascetically pleasing characteristics of the finer mesh types, it should be applied in a way that doesn't rely on the mesh for any support or safety. That said, architectural mesh can be woven with thicker wires to accommodate safety applications, such as fall protection panels on parking structures.
What Is Welded Wire Mesh?
Welded wire mesh, like woven wire mesh, is a series of wires welded at each wire cross-section.
How Is Welded Wire Mesh Made?
To make welded wire mesh, operators take spools of wire and thread them through a specialized weld mesh machine. This process is identical to the threading of wires through the heddle frames of a woven wire mesh loom.
The operators then take separate spools of wire and feed them into a wire straightener and pre-cut the wires to compliment the needs of the customer specifications. These pre-cut wires are then placed into a top loader mechanism of the machine.
When the machine operators, the top load places the pre-cut wires on top of the wires being fed from the spools. The machine then applies a uniform weld at each wire intersection simultaneously.
As the machine continues, the welded mesh is either rolled or cut based on set dimensions depending on the project's needs.
Applications
As stated above, welded wire mesh must be constructed out of thicker wires that can withstand the heat created during the welding process. As a result, welded wire mesh is often more durable than woven wire mesh.
This durability makes it an ideal solution for protective infill panels, protective free form encasings, and anywhere where high visitor traffic would potentially damage the mesh.
How Does Welded Wire Mesh and Woven Wire Mesh Compare in Price?
As we described above, the processes needed to produce woven wire mesh and welded wire mesh are entirely different. The one factor that sticks out between the two concerning cost is that the process that is used to produce woven wire mesh is, for the most part, automated.
Welded wire mesh, however, requires a more hands-on process. This is because an operator must feed through both the machine and a straightener, but they must also continuously feed pre-cut wires into the machine's toploader mechanism.
During the production of welded wire mesh, the mesh panels' ends have access material that must be cut off. Again this commonly done by hand when not rolled by the machine.
That said, when labor and material costs are taken into consideration, welded wire mesh tends to be more costly than woven wire mesh.
Integrate the Mesh Solution To Turn Your Vision Into a Reality
Architectural and welded wire mesh are both design materials used to provide a structure with a one-of-a-kind aesthetic while also complying with the many regulations architects must follow. To ensure you implement the right solution, you must understand the characteristic differences between welded and woven mesh.
If you are looking to enhance the overall look of a structure and mesh strength isn't a top priority, woven wire mesh is the ideal solution. On the other hand, if your design calls for a more durable mesh, welded wire mesh.
Now, turning your vision into a reality doesn't stop at woven wire mesh vs. welded wire mesh, as there are several design materials available to you.
The Difference Between Woven Wire Mesh & Welded Wire Mesh
Wire Mesh is a factory-made product created from the intertwining of lustrous wire that has been merged and interweaved to form consistent parallel spaces with symmetrical gaps. There are several materials used in making wire mesh, however, the major materials are generally from metals. They include: low-carbon steel, high-carbon steel, copper, aluminum, and nickel.
The major functions of wire mesh are separating, screening, and shielding. The services or functions offered by a wire mesh or wire cloth is beneficial to the agricultural, industrial transportation, and mining sectors. Wire mesh is designed for the movement of bulk products and powders because of its strength and durability.
Manufacturers produce wire mesh using two methods–weaving and welding.
Weaving involves the use of industrial looms, especially rapier looms. Manufacturers may use the loom to weave mesh of many different standard and custom patterns. When they are done, manufacturers load the mesh onto rolls, which they cut off and use as needed. They refer to wires woven horizontally, or lengthwise, as warp wires, and wires woven vertically, or crosswise, as weft wires.
Welding is a process during which metalworkers electrically bond wires at the points where they intersect. Metalworkers complete welded wire mesh products by cutting and bending them into shape. Welding creates mesh that is strong and that cannot unravel or fall apart.
Applications of Woven Wire Mesh
Filtration
Architectural
Caging
Separation
Applications of Welded Wire Mesh
Perimeter Fencing
Protective Caging
Handrail Panels
Comparing Woven Wire Mesh or Wire Welded Mesh
Woven vs. welded wire mesh: which one is better? That answer to this question determines, of course, on what you need to use it for. Each type of quality metal cloth material boasts its own strengths, and they largely stem from the way each kind is crafted. Let’s take an in-depth look at the characteristics of woven and welded wire cloth.
Woven Wire Mesh: Pros and Cons
From its practical beginnings in medieval Europe to the 18th century, the advantages of woven wire cloth are certainly plentiful. Today’s wire cloth is woven with various kinds of metals including stainless steel, brass, copper and aluminum alloys, and even high heat resistant metals like molybdenum and tungsten. Woven wire cloth is often more affordable than welded cloth because it takes less labor to produce. A handful of key areas are welded together to hold the woven metal cloth in place. As a result, the woven material is more flexible to work with. Several types of woven wire cloth mesh are available on the market. For example, wire cloth can be woven in twill weave, plain weave, pre-crimp weave, filter cloth weave and more.
Due to its more flexible nature, woven wire cloth is particularly useful for irregular contours, but smaller items such as ultrasonic parts may fall out of the container or through the steel mesh holes. Woven metal mesh also has a tendency to not be quite as strong as welded metal for protective purposes.
Welded Wire Cloth Mesh: Pros and Cons
In contrast to a woven wire, welded wire cloth is permanently welded at all or most intersecting joints. This welding process makes the material more rigid and allows it to hold a more uniform shape. This is particularly helpful in industrial applications where the wire welded mesh fits into mechanical parts with set measurements. Welded wire metal is more efficient at holding lids in place compared to its woven counterpart. Welded wire cloth contains heavy duty loads and withstands greater force without breaking or tearing, making it the ideal choice for protective or barrier applications. It is designed with a greater durability against the rigors of daily cleaning, and can also be galvanized for further strength and corrosion resistance to high moisture and salt environments.
That said, welded wire cloth is very useful for its strength, but it also tends to be the costlier material because more time and labor is involved.
Woven v.s Welded Wire Mesh? The Choice is Yours
As you can see, both welded and woven wire metal share in their own strengths and weaknesses. Keep these factors in mind when selecting the type of wire ensured to match closest to your needs and custom specifications:
Woven wire metal:
Is flexible and simple to use for irregular fittings
Takes less time to produce
Can be made in many kinds of metal alloys with variable sizes and thickness
Is more affordable than welded wire
Welded wire metal, on the other hand:
Is stronger than woven wire
Easily holds its shape for more specific measurements
Contains heavier and smaller items better than woven metal
Can be galvanized to provide further corrosion resistance
Razor Wire,Barbed Wire,Galvanized Steel Wire,Garden Gate,Panel Fence is always ready for serving you with excellent products and services with efforts of development and innovation. Feel free to contact us to get any products you're interested here.
