EuroWire May 2016

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May 2016 50
Wire cleaning
& treatment
Photo courtesy of Boockmann Engineering GmbH
Feature
Lubricant residues need to be removed from drawn wire before galvanising, cladding, welding or
any other finishing operation can proceed successfully.
This simply stated rule supposes an immense amount of knowledge: of materials (steel, stainless,
copper, nickel, titanium); processes (plasma, anodic, electrolytic, magnetic, electronic, hydraulic);
hybrid functions (descaling/annealing, deglassing, pickling, passivating, corrosion inhibition,
sanitation); plus salts and acids, thickeners and surfactants. It also requires a sure grasp of cleaning
tanks, pumps, filters, oil skimmers and air-wipes.
Cleaning and treatment make a natural pairing in a state-of-the-art wire mill. The products and
services reviewed in this section are offered by suppliers who know their specialities: both of them.