WCA September 2013

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Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2013
Today’s technical applications call
more and more for springs with a
compact design combined with high
spring forces. In addition, due to highly
automated manufacturing processes,
often tight dimensional tolerances are
requested.
Whether in the automotive sector,
precision engineering or medical
technology, textile machinery or
electrical connection technology, a high
resistance to corrosion is often needed.
For such applications, stainless-steel flat
wire is commonly used – both traditional
materials, such as AISI 300 and 400
series as well as special alloys.
Specialised suppliers are even able to
offer almost all cold-formable materials,
whose procurement is possible.
Flat wire is available in industrial
quantities from widths of about 0.05mm,
with a tolerance of ±0.005mm.
Thicknesses start from about 0.02mm
(20 micron) and tolerances of less than
±0.001 are possible. Some specialised
companies in this field achieve
width-thickness ratios of up to 1:50, and
even up to 1:70, while the majority of
providers work in the range of 1:2 to
1:10.
Depending on the required applications,
such a flat wire has:
• natural edges
• rounded edges
• rolled edges or
• defined radii.
In the small to mid-latitudes thickness
ratio natural edges provide an
economical solution. Rounded edges,
ie edges that go through a peeling
process after cold rolling, offer an even
closer and more regular width
tolerance, especially for high quality
products with very tight bending radii.
Rolled edges are formed by a vertical
pair of rollers. This manufacturing step
shows width tolerances similarly tight as
rounded edges. Defined radii allow very
tight customer specific requirements to
be obtained.
Compared to steel strip, cold-rolled flat
wire has the advantage of very large
lengths without welds (wire up to 500kg
per coil) and a homogeneous spread of
strength across the entire cross-section.
In addition a stable supply-chain with a
broad set of machines is
recommended, that can ensure both
small quantities for validation purposes
and larger annual contacts with partial
deliveries and accurately maintained
tolerances.
Studer SA – Switzerland
Website:
Flat wire for high-performance springs
For extremes
As oil and gas producers push their
technology to ever-greater ocean
depths to find sources of supply, there
has been an increased need for
long-distance, high-temperature and
high-pressure sensors and
communications devices.
Ametek SCP has developed the
technology to produce a glass-sealed
fibre optic feedthru (FOFT) for extreme
high-pressure, high temperature appli-
cations.
Ametek SCP – USA
Website: