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Continuous Wire Drawing from Rod
Commercial wire starts as a coil of hot-rolled rod about 9 mm thick. After the scale is removed, the rod is pulled through a row of ever smaller dies, each wrapped round a driven drum, or block, that pulls it on to the next; one machine may hold 3 to 12 dies. Each die takes away 15–25 % of the area on fine wire and 20–45 % on heavier wire, and the wire gets longer as it gets thinner. Cold drawing makes it stronger; if the total reduction passes about 50 % it is annealed before drawing on. High-carbon steel rod gives music wire, stainless rod stainless wire, and copper rod copper wire, which may get a final anneal for ductility and conductivity.
Advanced
Continuous (industrial)
Instructions
1
1
Clean the rod
Clean the rod
The hot-rolled rod, about 9 mm, is uncoiled and its scale is removed.
Materials for this step:
High-Carbon Steel Wire Rod1000 kg
Stainless Steel Wire Rod1000 kg
Copper Wire Rod1000 kg2
2
Point and string up
Point and string up
The end is pointed, pushed through each die and wound round each block in turn: this is called stringing-up.
Tools needed:
Continuous Wire Drawing Machine
Tungsten Carbide Wire Drawing Die3
3
Draw
Draw
Lubricant floods the dies while each block pulls the wire through the next, smaller die; each block turns faster than the one before.
Materials for this step:
Wire Drawing Lubricant1 literTools needed:
Continuous Wire Drawing MachineTungsten Carbide Wire Drawing Die4
4
Anneal when needed
Anneal when needed
Past about 50 % total reduction the wire is annealed before further drawing. A final anneal may follow to make the wire more ductile and, for copper, more conductive.
Tools needed:
Annealing Oven5
5
Gauge and coil
Gauge and coil
The finished diameter is measured and the wire is wound onto reels or coils.
Tools needed:
Digital Caliper 6-InchMaterials
4- 1000 kgPlaceholder
- 1000 kgPlaceholder
- 1000 kgPlaceholder
- 1 literPlaceholder
Tools Required
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