Steel wire

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Wire Drawing Process Overview

Wire drawing is a process in which wire rods/wires are reduced in size by drawing them through cone-shaped openings of a smaller cross section, so called dies. The input usually is wire rod of diameters raging from 5.5 to 16 mm obtained from hot rolling mills in form of coils.

A typical wire drawing process line comprises the following steps:

  • Pre-treatment of the wire rod (mechanical descaling, pickling).
  • Dry or wet drawing (usually several drafts with decreasing die sizes).
  • Heat treatment (continuous-/discontinuos annealing, patenting, oil hardening).
  • Finishing.

Wire is manufactured in different grades of steel: low carbon steel with carbon content of up to 0.25 %, high carbon steel with a carbon content of over 0.25 %, stainless and other alloy steel. Non-alloy steel wire can be uncoated or coated with zinc, copper, brass, tin, nickel, chrome, plastic or varnish. Wire is send in coil form to further processing, like coating and manufacturing of finished products (e.g. cable, mesh, barbed wire, wire fencing, grill, springs, nails).


Steel wire plants.jpg


Steel wire plants2.jpg


Because of the huge variety of wire products, many different processing schemes exist, dictated by wire diameter and required mechanical and other quality specifications. The process schemes shown in Figure A.2-38 and Figure A.2-39 cover the majority of galvanized wire that is produced in Europe (and worldwide). A fraction is sold as such; a fraction is processed further by wet drawing or by other processes, such as welding, electroplating, weaving, cabling, bunching, painting, plastic coating, cutting to length, etc.


Source: BAT Ferrous Metals Processing Industry, 2001


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