02/07/ 0 Comments news
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One of the first essential steps of any industrial project is to consider what material works best for your needs. While sheet metal may be the right choice when building a car or aircraft, you will not want to use it in place of wire mesh when making a screen or cage where airflow is essential. When choosing between wire mesh, expanded metal, and sheet metal, it helps to know what things each of them does best. To learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of common steel construction materials, look at our breakdown below.
What Makes Wire Mesh Special?
Both lightweight and tough enough for many heavy-duty uses, wire mesh is a versatile construction material that is used in everything from lockers and storage cages to window mesh and machine guards. This material&#;s major benefit is that it allows air and water to flow through easily, making it perfect if you don&#;t want to halt drainage, block airflow, or disrupt a line of sight. And while it may be the least durable of the three materials on this list, it is still durable enough for various industrial uses. Plus, it&#;s corrosion-resistant.
Considering the Benefits of Expanded Metal
Expanded metal is an excellent option to consider when you want more structural stability than
wire mesh
but still want to allow some air flow or water drainage. This makes it a right choice for fences, grates, and walkways. Expanded metal medium weight, average durability, and in many respects can be considered a good middle ground between the other two options. One downside is that it may have sharp edges, which need to be sanded, polished, or coated to prevent injury.
The Pros and Cons of Sheet Metal
If toughness or durability is your top priority, sheet metal is the way to go. It doesn&#;t allow any airflow or drainage, but depending on the application you have in mind, this may be more advantageous. Its extra toughness also means it is also the heaviest of the three.
Sheet metal
is most commonly seen in cars or aircraft bodies, where structural stability is essential.
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We are often asked by our customers to explain the differences between materials to help them make an informed decision on selecting the most suitable product for their application or project. A common question is: what are the differences between expanded metal, perforated metal, welded wire and woven wire mesh?
In this blog, Ian Hutchinson, Product Manager at The Expanded Metal Company, compares each product&#;s characteristics.
Expanded metal mesh is produced through bespoke tooling, which simultaneously slits and stretches material (stainless steel, mild steel, aluminium etc) fed from coil or plate. This produces no waste and in fact offers a greater yield of finished material than that which is originally fed into the process. Expanded metal mesh is also homogeneous by design, in that it is one single piece of material with no welds to break or wires to fray.
The expanded metal mesh manufacturing process can produce an array of mesh patterns, not solely limited to diamond shapes. Mesh strands exhibit an angular tilt that gives a three dimensional appearance: this offers practical benefits including aesthetic appeal (so it is ideal for use in architecture and interior design) and added grip (making it suitable for use in walkways, ramps and flooring). Raised mesh can also be used as a key to serve as a substrate for render and plaster.
It is also common for conventional expanded metal to then undergo a secondary process which involves flattening it to form a completely two dimensional flat sheet. Flattened mesh can be used in applications including filtration, machine guards, animal flooring, speaker grilles and electromagnetic screens.
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Much like expanded metal, perforated metal is produced through piercing the material with bespoke tooling to offer an array of shapes such as circles, squares and diamonds. However, unlike expanded metal, perforated metal is punched and not stretched and therefore produces waste material. This clearly has cost implications &#; especially if high value raw materials are used in the manufacturing process.
Welded wire mesh is produced by feeding an array of metal wire from independent spools, which are then appropriately spaced and welded in place. Welded wire mesh is an economical product, however its welds are prone to becoming areas of weakness when strength and longevity are to be considered &#; for instance in security fencing applications. Due to the nature of the welding process, material suitability is also limited.
The production of woven wire mesh involves weaving metal wire at 90 degree intervals which result in a perpendicular, repetitive arrangement akin to weaving fabric for clothing. The process lends itself well to achieving very fine apertures. However, the process relies heavily on tension rather than mechanical fixing, which means woven wire is prone to fray and not ideally suited to formed components.
Economy
Strength
Longevity
Aesthetics
Conductivity
Grip
Formability
Expanded Metal Mesh
Perforated Metal Mesh
Woven Wire Mesh
You can view our full range of expanded metal here
Need a more cost effective alternative to perforated metal mesh, why not consider our Experf range?
Need an expanded metal alternative to 50x50x3 welded wire mesh, how about our Square Mesh range?
Need a more reliable alternative to woven wire mesh for formed components, why not consider our Micromesh Range?
Want more information on expanded walkway mesh? Feel free to contact us.