Wire and strip
In the fabrication of metal parts, it is frequent to find applications that require the combination of a metal wire and a metal strip to achieve the desired results. Common manufacturing processes involved in the fabrication of these parts are wire and strip bending, wire flattening, strip punching, marking and welding to join them together. Here’s a brief overview of the most common processes performed on metal wires and metal strips.
Bending
Metal bending can be performed as a hot forming process or as a cold forming process. However, hot bending must be carefully performed, and it is more specific for certain applications because of the modifications that are introduced to the structure of the material due to the high temperatures required.
On the other side, cold bending is a more common process performed on metal wire and sheet metal strips, as they are ductile enough to be shaped by means of a press without any problem.
Although it can be performed manually with a hammer, cold bending is usually performed by using the force of a slider, a press or a finger bender. The piece of metal being formed is positioned on a die that will define the end shape of the part. Then, the metal is pressed on the die by the force of the ram to achieve the final shape.
Flattening
As the name suggests, it is the process of taking something with a round profile, like a metal wire, and making it flat. This can be done manually by hammering the wire, but a better result is usually achieved by means of a press in a cold forming process.
The application of this process is to allow for a change of profile in a given section of the part, moving from a round profile to a flat one.
Punching
Punching is a manufacturing process which is used to remove a part of the material with a specific shape and specific dimensions by means of a punch press. The shape and dimensions are defined by the tool used, which is called the punch. It is usually performed on sheet metal or metal strips, but it can be performed on any part with a flat section like the ones mentioned before. It is commonly used to create holes with specific diameters for assembly purposes.
Welding
Welding is a manufacturing process used to join metal parts by heating them in order to create the fusion of the materials. In addition to melting the area of the parts where they will be joined, known as base material, the process sometimes introduces another material to help create the joint, and this extra material is known as the filler. Similarly, some welding methods require an element to protect the materials from the environment while they are melted, and the most commonly used is a shielding gas.