Which Material Works Best: Welded Wire Mesh or Woven Wire Mesh?

There are dozens of mesh solutions on the market, such as woven and welded wire mesh, and engineers, project managers and laboratory technicians can choose the right solution. But which material works best: welded wire mesh or woven wire mesh?

 

"What will the mesh be used for? What material am I working with? When do I need the mesh?" All questions you must ask yourself when deciding whether to use welded or woven wire mesh. This article will explain what welded and woven wire mesh are, how each material is manufactured and what their uses are. Finally, you should get a better idea of which mesh is right for you.

 

What is woven wire mesh?

Stainless steel woven wire mesh is best described as a predetermined number of metal wires interwoven together to form a roll or sheet of wire fabric that supports a specific pattern. When weaving wire mesh, parameters such as wire diameter, opening (aperture) size, micron rating, weave pattern, width and length can be tailored to your specific needs.

 Welded Wire Mesh

How is a woven wire mesh?

To weave a wire mesh, a specified number of wires are wound onto the warp beam, which is placed in a special weaving machine. The warp threads are then placed into heald frames, which are divided into two or more groups depending on the weaving/pattern of the net.

 

When the weaving machine is running, the heald frame pushes up and down the different groups of wires as the wires (called weft yarns) are driven between the wires. After passing through the wires, the up-and-down movement of the heald frame locks the weft yarns into place.

 

Applications of woven wire mesh

One of the advantages of woven wire mesh over welded wire mesh is that the mesh apertures can be much finer. This is because as the wire diameter becomes smaller, it becomes more difficult to weld the mesh without damaging the wire or breaking the wire mesh openings. Having said that, the finer mesh of woven wire mesh makes it suitable for almost any filtration, particle analysis or screen printing application.

Stainless Steel Welded Wire Mesh  

What is welded wire mesh?

Welded wire mesh is a series of wires that are welded to a cross section of wire using one of several welding techniques (the most common being TIG and spot welding). As the wire undergoes a thorough welding process, the size of the mesh openings is largely permanent.

 

How is welded wire mesh made?

To make welded wire mesh on a weaving machine, the spools of wire are threaded into the welding machine in the same way as the wire is threaded into the reed of the heald frame and woven wire loom. The individual bobbins are then fed into the straightening machine and pre-cut to match the required mesh width.

 

When the machine is running, the wire on the bobbin is threaded through the machine. The pre-cut wires are then placed into a mechanism which places them on top of the wires fed from the spool. Once in place, the machine simultaneously applies an even weld across each cross section. Depending on the length of the welded wire fabric, the net can be made into welded wire rolls or the operator picks up the net, cuts the access material and places it into a pile of welded wire panels with predetermined dimensions.

 

Applications of welded wire mesh

As a thicker wire must be used to withstand the welding process, welded wire mesh is considered the stronger and more durable of the two materials. This enhanced strength makes it ideal for use in fencing, protective cages (for animals and equipment) and concrete wire mesh panels.

Stainless steel welded wire mesh is a very popular and versatile item, and many different customers use it for many different applications. As a stainless steel welded wire mesh manufacturer and supplier, Milesen specializes in supplying high-quality stainless steel welded wire mesh products, available from stock or customized, please contact us!