Background
When I visited
United Wire Works in 1991 and 1992, the company manufactured much of
its own wire, copper, nickel, etc, but not stainless steel.
That was bought in.
However the United Wire Works wire manufacturing plant closed
around 2001. The company now buys in all the wire that it
weaves, most of it being stainless steel.
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Drawing and Annealing the wire
The wire produced was then drawn through a succession of drawing
machines, each time becoming longer and thinner. Sometimes the
drawings continued until the wire was only 0.25mm thick.
It was also annealed by heating to soften it and restore some of
its properties after having been stressed by the drawing.
The photograph above is of the strand annealing department.
In the background are some of the long ovens through which the
stands of wire were passed. |