Below is a list of Expanded Metals manufacturers from Illinois. Expanded metal includes all metallic elements or alloys that have undergone a specific machining process in which a sheet or coil is simultaneously cut and drawn to provide an open grid like pattern. An economic alternative to perforated metals, the production of expanded metal sheets results in no waste material as it is slit rather than punched. Fewer raw materials are needed as well because each component can be stretched to as much as ten times its original length.