One of the great inventions of the modern age is steel, an alloy of iron metal. It made construction of many projects that ensures strength and durability. It is marked by its toughness due to the presence of carbon. But the most desirable attributes of corrosion and rust resistance has been greatly achieved through the manufacture of superior stainless steel. Being highly resistant to corrosive environments, the use of stainless steel wire has been heavily demanded in challenging applications. It is very effective in most industrial and architectural uses such as in suspension bridges, business production lines, lift and pulley systems and many more.
Stainless steel wire even became a trend as a custom made designer mesh choice for many purposes, including fencing, balustrades, screening, flooring and partitions, and comes in a variety of specifications to suit certain requirements. However, to ensure high quality with optimized tensile strength and corrosion resistance properties, manufacturing of stainless steel wires must be completely guarded. The following processes should be done properly and with utmost regard to quality.
- Melting/Casting. At this first stage, the raw materials are heated in an electric furnace for more than 10 hours until the molten produce is now ready to be casted. The process of casting is done into the intermediate products and not directly into the stainless steel wire.
- Forming. This second phase is also known as drawing wherein the actual wires are drawn. The casted products are then fed into huge hot rollers which apply the required pressure and dimensional functions to draw wires. Top stainless steel wire suppliers like Ferrier Wire Goods Company offers wire products at varying sizes. According to the demands of the customers, wire thickness is manipulated during the forming process.
- Heat treatment/Annealing. This stage is very essential since it is here that the wires are given high level of sturdiness and strength. The annealing process is done several times, that is heating and cooling the wires in controlled conditions. This is to alter the lattice structure of stainless steel wire and to acquire the strength necessary for the most challenging applications.
- Descaling. At this final process, polishing and grinding are done on the surface of wires to remove any defects such as kinks or scaling and create a smoother finish.