WCA January 2012

Braiding, knitting, weaving and welding

At the same time, the machinery and equipment must meet “ordinary” standards as to speed, economy, and convenience in use and maintenance. The companies whose products and services are reviewed here are equally responsive to both sets of requirements. They are aware that a snapped wire at any stage of a run of braided, knitted, or woven product will likely entail a heavier penalty than elsewhere in the mill.

The more intricate the product, the more highly specialised the apparatus of its manufacture. Braiding, knitting, and weaving machinery must accommodate a wide variety of feedstocks – ie ferrous metal, flexible brass wire, galvanised wire – and often must work the materials together in patterns that lend new meaning to the machinist’s term “arbitrary combination.” The wire mill must also have capability for processing an order for high-tensile double-width woven wire mesh – for, say, a pasture enclosure – that imposes strength and handling challenges beyond the ordinary.

61

Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2012