The flexibility (ability to be bent without breaking) and malleability (the ability to withstand plastic deformation without fracture) of our products can be designed according to customer needs. Through a careful selection of materials, mesh structure, and tooling design, we can produce mesh components in an almost limitless range of shapes including sheets (blankets), highly flexible hollow mesh tubes, and 3-dimensional rigid structures such as prisms, cubes, spheres and doughnuts, etc.

Depending on the design of the mesh and the materials used, knitted wire mesh structures can absorb energy elastically i.e. with no permanent deformation unless its elastic limit is exceeded. Typical applications include oven door seals where the mesh is behaving as a tubular spring compressed along its length. Plastic energy absorption occurs where the energy absorbed by the mesh structure is dissipated as heat. For example, in bump stops and vibration isolators applications (see also High Resilience).

Porosity can be defined as the percentage of free (or empty) space contained in the total volume of a given structure. The types of materials and manufacturing processes used in the production of our knitted mesh components allow the porosity to be almost infinitely controlled from almost zero to >98% void volume. This feature also facilitates the control of pore size and permeability levels allowing engineers to design products of varying strength and densities for use in filtration and other applications where the control of fluid or solids flow is critical.

Resilience can be defined as the ability of a material to absorb energy when deformed and to release that energy on unloading. The feature is particularly beneficial in applications such as seals (often incorporating resilient cores), gaskets and vibration isolators for use in both high and low temperature environments. Our engineers can work with customers to select the materials and manufacturing methods required to configure a product that will perform to the most exacting specifications.

Knitted mesh is made of wire, comprising continuous lengths of filament of almost any material type, formed into interlocking loops. This unique structure produces a material that, whilst being highly flexible, has the tensile strength characteristics of the component filament material. Applications include very fine flexible mesh nets such as those used in animal enclosures that can withstand snow loading of >250kg per m2.

Knitted mesh is used to form an enclosure that acts as Faraday Cage to block electromagnetic fields. This phenomenon is used to screen (protect) sensitive electronic equipment from external radio frequency interference (RFI) and enhance electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Faraday Cages are also used to enclose devices that produce RFI, such as radio transmitters, to prevent their radio waves from interfering with nearby electronic equipment. These knitted mesh screens can be produced from a wide range of materials including tin-plated copper or copper-plated steel and formed as cooling vents, flexible cable jointing ‘bandages’, and resilient joint seals with elastomer cores for inspection hatches or doors and windows, etc.

Materials can be selected and processed, in any of a huge number of possible variants, to produce knitted mesh components that will withstand the conditions experienced in the most arduous of operational environments. Corrosion resistance and fatigue tests at up to 1,000°C can be conducted on-site with products typically being used in aerospace, automotive, refractory, cryogenic and marine environments.

Knitted mesh can be processed into virtually any shape from flat mesh through circular, rectangular or cylindrical form. Materials can be selected from a huge variety of size, type and colour ranging from very fine (<0.05mm) and translucent up to 0.8mm diameter. Where appropriate designers can make their selection bespoke to their specific needs, from almost invisible for desecrate application, or bright and bold for use in art or architectural applications.

Knitted mesh can be processed from a wide variety of materials to produce densely packed components with high surface area per unit weight or volume. Surface areas of >30,000 m2 per m3 of compressed material can be achieved which is equivalent to >5 m2 per kg of stainless steel. In cost terms this feature of knitted mesh compares very favourably to other technologies and is utilised in applications such as catalyst substrates or where rapid heat transfer from a fluid is required.

Knitted wire mesh products offer low cost solutions when compared to other technologies such as sintered materials and high temperature elastomers. For volume production, our relatively low raw material and tooling costs, together with high speed automated manufacturing processes result in very competitive unit costs. This is also the case for lower volume customer requirements where our extensive experience and specialised equipment facilitate cost effective bespoke solutions.

A feature of knitted wire mesh is its ability to conduct an electric current. The specific conductance and heat retention and dissipation characteristics, together with the type of wire and its cross-sectional area, are key selection and design criteria. The wire can be insulated by a variety of materials with the most common uses being in heating and security applications.

Knitted mesh can be used to encapsulate and protect fragile materials such as the ceramic bricks used in catalyst applications. We also specialise in the ‘over-knitting’ of special materials such as graphite or mica, that are produced to deliver properties against specific customer requirements such as fluid seals or self-lubricating gaskets.

Our customers are almost invariably seeking to reduce costs and/or enhance their products or process efficiencies. The added benefit of these partnerships is that all of our products are non-toxic and contribute to the 3Rs of the circular economy: Reduce, Re-use and Recycle, which fits perfectly with our own strapline of the 4 Ps: Protecting people, property and our planet.

Any material that can be produced as a yarn, fibre, or wire can potentially be produced in knitted mesh form. We have over 70 years of experience in the processing of a huge range of materials including stainless steel; carbon steel - both plain and galvanised; precious metals including nickel, platinum and gold; glass wool and fibre; a wide range of plastics; carbon fibre; and a range of plated and coated wires. Composite structures incorporating a blend of different filaments to deliver properties against specific customer requirements.