Woven Wire often known as Wire Cloth or Wire Gauze can be woven in many different patterns. It is available in plain weave which is the most popular followed by twill, plain dutch weave, dutch twill weave, reverse dutch weave and multiplex weave. Crimped mesh is also available which is made from wire mechanically crimped or pressed prior to weaving.
It is made by weaving wires of different diameters or a combination of diameters. This determines the aperture, the open area and the strength of the material. A thicker wire will produce a more robust weave, but the aperture and open area will be reduced giving a slower flow rate to the material passing through. If a thinner wire is used the opposite will apply. Mesh counts are generally quoted per inch for example in plain weave 20 mesh there are 20 strands of wire running in each direction per square inch. It can vary in texture from being as fine, soft and flexible as silk to being as rigid and durable as steel plate. Length and widths are given in metric or imperial.

Advantages of Woven Wire

The weaving process uses no punching, piercing or stretching operations that can produce stress induced weaknesses. It can be formed shaped or moulded without risk of fracture. As a precision woven product it has the ability to maintain accuracy of aperture size offering enormous scope for its use in filtration. As a screening medium its potential for a variety of particle, fluid, gas, separation, cleaning and sieving applications is unequaled. It provides the widest range of filtration, giving aperture sizes from over 10mm down to 23 micron nominal with a high open area/flow rate.

Availability

It is manufactured in rolls 30M long and normally in widths of 914mm, 1000mm or 1220mm wide. It is priced by the length required or the square metre. We provide a full and comprehensive finishing service for all of our materials, including cutting, annealing, slitting, forming and welding. Cut pieces can be made to your specific requirements.

Materials

It is woven in numerous materials including plain and galvanised steel, aluminium, nickel, brass, copper, phosphor bronze, monel and stainless steel which is the most popular.
There are many grades of stainless steel. The points to consider when choosing the most appropriate grade are corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, operating conditions and temperature. Type 304 and 316 listed below are two of the most popular grades.

Type 304. This is an austinetic, non magnetic, economical grade of stainless steel. It will not rust under normal conditions and resists most oxidizing acids. It is widely used in the food industry and is immune to most organic chemicals, dyes and foods. It is an 18/8 stainless steel, therefore 18% chromium and 8% nickel.

Type 316. This is similar to type 304 but with the addition of molybdenum. It has a significantly higher corrosion resistance making it suitable for use in the presence of acetic acids also sodium and calcium brines.