Before you put in an order for wire mesh, you’ll need to decide what kind of weave you want. A weave refers to the way the wires are connected together to form the mesh. Different weaves offer unique characteristics to the wire mesh and can affect factors like the mesh’s strength and durability. That’s why it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of different types of wire mesh weaves before you put in your order. Let’s look at the four most common wire mesh weaves that we offer at Lawrence Sintered Metals.
Plain Weave
Plain weave is the most common type of weave. The warp and shute wires cross each other in a standard over-under pattern. The warp and shute wires also have the same diameter. A plain weave offers a lot of flexibility and good shaping power. There are lots of uses for plain weave, such as filtering materials, creating artwork, and providing basic screening and fencing. If you are looking for an especially strong mesh, however, a twilled weave will likely be a better option.
Twilled Weave
A twilled weave is known for its strength, stability, and reliability. In this configuration, the shute wire passes over and under two warp wires. Using a twilled weave allows manufacturers to use heavier wires, which can increase the overall strength and density of the weave. Twilled weaves are ideal for security uses or if you require your metal mesh to stand up against a lot of punishment.
Plain Dutch Weave
A plain Dutch weave uses the simple over-under method of the warp and shute wires. What makes it different from the plain weave is that it uses a much thinner shute wire with a smaller diameter. This allows the weave to achieve very small openings, which makes it ideal for fine filtration.
Twilled Dutch Weave
For the ultimate filtration job, you’ll want to use the twilled Dutch weave. Like the twilled weave, the shute wire passes over and under two warp wires. In the Dutch method, the shute wire is small, allowing for an incredibly tight and strong weave. This will let you filter out even tiny particles. At Lawrence Sintered Metals, our smallest twilled Dutch weave features a wire diameter of .0015/.0010.
