A downloadable, detailed sintered wire mesh overview can be found here.

An overview of woven wire mesh

Woven wire mesh comes in a wide variety of specifications providing a range of mechanical properties. Coarser weaves woven from heavier gauge wires may provide useful mechanical strength, while finer weaves are useful as filtration and separation media due to their small and tightly controlled apertures. A basic review of wire mesh may be found at www.wire-cloth.com.

Wire mesh has been used in a very wide variety of applications. However, in the as-woven condition, mesh has a tendency to fray at the edges. In small punched discs, for example, this may result in downstream migration of wire fragments. Wires may also shift within the weave, thus changing its geometry by opening up oversized apertures. In the case of filtration meshes, this means the filter rating is compromised by changes in pore size.

AS WOVEN MESH DISC

Diffusion-Bonding (Sintering) is the solution

One answer to these and other concerns is to sinter or diffusion-bond the wire cloth. In a true sintering process, heat and pressure are used to create molecular diffusion-welds at each and every "intersection" in the mesh where the wires cross over and under one-another. The wire mesh is also rendered clean, ductile and fully annealed by the sintering process. Its mechanical properties are generally enhanced by the wire bonds, and its filtration properties are secured by the prevention of shifting wires.

True sintering of wire mesh is usually accomplished in flat sheets, to which uniform isostatic pressure may be applied to assist the diffusion-bonding process. However, other processes have also been developed for sintering wire mesh in coils or rolls. We refer to these processes as "coil sintering" or "roll sintering" of wire mesh.

20 x 20 plain weave (as-woven) wire mesh
cross-section

20 x 20 plain weave sintered (diffusion-bonded) wire mesh cross-section

How is sintered wire mesh available?

Sintered wire mesh is available in flat, rectangular sheets in standard sizes of 18x24" and 24x48". Other sizes are available on special order. The range of specifications mirrors the spectrum of woven meshes available. Meshes ranging from 4x4x.063 (four wires per inch in each direction, .063" wire diameter) to 325x2300 (a twilled Dutch filter weave with apertures of less than 10 microns) may be sintered to provide enhanced properties.

In addition, sintered wire meshes may be "calendered" to provide reduced thickness and smoother surfaces. Calendering involves passing the sheet of mesh through a pair of heavy precision-ground chromium steel rolls. This process step is also used to create MPP™ Micro-Perforated Plate media from sintered wire mesh.

New class of materials with sintered wire mesh laminates

While single-layer wire mesh may be sintered to provide welds wherever the wires cross, a whole new class of structures may be created by laminating multiple layers of wire mesh together. Please visit our overview of Sintered Wire mesh Laminates.