Wire Forms

About Wire Forms and Wire Form Manufacturers Including: Wire Baskets, Wire Displays, Wire Fabrications, Wire Hooks, Wire Products, Wire Racks & Wire Shelves.

Wire forming is the process of bending and manipulating wire into, wire forms or specified shapes in order to create an assortment of items for both industrial and commercial use. Methods for wire forming and shaping metal wire include swaging, bending, fourslide, metal stamping and CNC machine wire forming, as well as various types of coil forming. Manufacturers of wire forms products typically perform supplemental services as well. These additional services consist of tool making, fine blanking, deep drawing and, most importantly, assistance with design and engineering.

Metal stamping, which is utilized for wire forming, is the process of stamping wire shapes like springs, clips, rings and specialty rings. Coil or spring forming is a wire forming method that involves winding wire into spirals or rings. Fourslide wire forming is an advancement of metal stamping that involves a vertically positioned center post and four slides running horizontally. These elements of wire forming work together to automatically receive coiled wire from a reel and then straighten and cut it according to specified part designs. CNC machining is often used along with CAD/CAM designing because it provides precisely produced parts.

Wire forms are important components in manufacturing industries because many machines used in production utilize wire formed parts. These wire formed products are comprised of springs, hooks, coils, pins, rings and clips. Commercial products include product display wire racks found in retail and convenience stores as well as wire baskets. The medical industry uses wire baskets because of their ability to protect various medical supplies while keeping them sterile. Wire form manufacturers also produce various custom wire formed products including motor mounts, water intake screens, grills and finger guards. Custom forms are commonly created for companies that desire a wire form for a specific application.

Wire forms can be made from various materials, including ferrous metals, nonferrous metals, alloys and precious metals. The selected material depends on the specifications of the wire form needed as well as its intended application. Each manufacturer has unique capabilities regarding the materials and forms it can produce. Most wire form manufacturers strive to meet certain quality requirements and earn certifications for the services they provide. The most popular certifications and requirements to look for are ISO 9001, ISO 9002 and QS9000. For display purposes, the wire form is often coated with paint, plastic or threads. It is important to communicate to a manufacturer the parameters of the wire product needed, such as size, shape, strength requirements and any coating needs.

Wire Forms and Wire Form Manufacturers Images Provided by Northern Wire Products

Wire Forms and Wire Form Manufacturers Image Provided by Rockford Specialties Co.

Wire Forms and Wire Form Manufacturers Image Provided by Merrill Manufacturing Corp.

Types of Wire Forms Including: Wire Baskets, Wire Shelving, Wire Hooks, Wire Shelves, Wire Forms, and Wire Racks.

• Coil is wire wound into rings or spirals.
  
• Flat springs are flat or curved pieces of steel shaped into a coil; flat springs have a nearly constant force.
  
• Medical wire forms are used primarily in orthopedic and prosthetic devices, and they provide a positive closure.
  
• S Hooks are wire hooks used to connect or hang components.
  
• Spring washers are springs that store the energy used to tighten the nut or bolt they are under.
  
• Springs are coiled material that deflect when load is applied. Removing the load will cause the spring to return to its previous position.
  
• Wire baskets are used in various industries to store and display products.
  
• Wire displays are often used to display books, food, clothing and various other products. Wire displays can be custom designed for manufacturer needs and desires.
  
• Wire hooks are curved pieces of metal used to hold things.
  
• Wire racks are available in various materials and options, and are used in many retail situations, including those dealing with food and clothing.
  
• Wire shelves are produced for both industrial and consumer use because they are versatile and sturdy with a variety of load strengths and wire densities.

Common Terms Related to Wire Forms, Wire Baskets, Wire Shelving, Wire Hooks, Wire Shelves, Wire Forms, and Wire Racks.

Active Coils - Coils that freely deflect when under a load.

Closed Ends - The ends of the coils touch because the pitch end is reduced on a compression spring.

CNC (Computer Numerical Control) - Machines with a computer memory, often used in manufacturing and production of wire forms.

Deflection - During the application or removal of the burden, the motion of the spring arms or ends.

Elastic Limit - The strain and manipulation a material can endure without lasting set.

Fine Blanking - A technique of precision blanking in which the material is cut smoothly and accurately without needing secondary operations.

Free Angle - The slope between the torsion spring arms at the unloaded position for the spring wire form.

Gauge - The measurement of the thickness of a wire used in wire forms.

Helix - In open or closed forms, the spiral shape of the spring.

Hooks - The open ends of extension springs.

Hysteresis - Lost mechanical energy during a spring's cyclic loading and unloading.
Hysteresis is relative to the space among the loading and unloading deflection curves.

Load - Applied force that causes deflection with a spring.

Multislide Stamping - Stamping or forming from multiple directions in pieces and segments.

Pitch - In the wire of active coils, the measure of the distance from the center of one adjacent active coil to another.

Rate (R) - The modification in load for each unit deflection, typically expressed in pounds per inch (N/mm).

Set - Permanent deformation that happens from the stressing of a spring past the material's elastic limit.

Spring Index -The ratio of mean coil diameter to wire diameter.

Stress Relieve - Exposing a spring to a treatment of low heat, which results in the reduction of residual stresses.

Torque - Equation measurement of torsion spring's twisting action, relative to the distance from the axis of the spring body.

Wire Forming - The forming of wire forms.