Manufacturing Technology
How expanded metal is producedThe metal is inserted on coils or in the form of plates into the rear of the machine.
Each machine is fitted with a special blade which defines the mesh width.
The machines are programmed with the necessary parameters and manually controlled by our qualified employees.
During the elongation process the raw metal sheet is reformed through systematic slitting and predefined stretching. The metal is either formed into rolls or cut to defined sizes.
Expanded metal mesh has four sides
Expanded metal mesh displays, as a result of the production process, a contortion which lends it structural characteristics.
Direction of elongation
Opposite direction of elongation
Direction of elongation
Opposite direction of elongation
Types of Cut
When cutting the expanded metal mesh to shape, it is important to consider the particular specifications of the cut type (symmetrical with open or closed mesh).
The types of cut are differentiated as follows:
BsLo – Width symmetrical, length open
BgLo – Width closed, length open
BsLg – Width symmetrical, length closed
BLg – Width and length closed
BLo – Width and length open
Width and length can be cut to shape as required irrespective of the mesh symmetry.
Measurement of Expanded Metal
Mesh Length (ML)
Measurement from knuckle centre to knuckle centre in the direction of the long diagonal
Mesh Width (MB)
Measurement from knuckle upper edge to knuckle upper edge in the direction of the short diagonal
Strand Width (SB)
Width of the remaining material between the openings
Strand Thickness (SD)
Thickness of the employed material
Mesh Apertures
The aperture between four strands measured vertically to the plane of the expanded metal mesh
Knuckle
Intersection of four abutting strands
Knuckle Length
Measurement between two long diagonals
Knuckle Width
Approximately double the strand width
Expanded Metal Mesh Thickness
Total thickness of the expanded metal mesh
Planarity
The expanded metal mesh sheets are considered to be planar if, when placed on a flat surface with the curvature facing upwards, the greatest distance between the sheet and the flat surface does not exceed 20mm (over a width of 1000mm). In the case of heat-resistant sheets a distance of 40mm is allowed.
Curvature
The expanded metal mesh sheets are considered to be straight along the longitudinal edge if the curvature midpoint of a sheet with a metal thickness of up to 3mm shows a deviation of not more than 1.5% of the length of the straight line. For sheets with a thickness of 3mm or more the deviance may not exceed 2% of the length of the straight line.