Stainless steel wire is produced by melting raw materials (iron, alloys) in an electric arc furnace, casting them into billets, hot-rolling them into rods, and then reducing their diameter through multiple cold-drawing passes. The process includes、 intermediate annealing for flexibility, descaling, and final surface treatments to meet specific grade, size, and finish requirements.Key Stages in Stainless Steel Wire Production:
* Melting & Casting: High-purity iron scraps and alloys (chromium, nickel) are melted in an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) to ensure a precise chemical composition. The molten steel is cast into billets or rods.
* Hot Rolling: The billets are heated and passed through rollers, reducing their diameter into hot-rolled coils, typically 5.5–10 mm.
* Pickling & Cleaning: The hot-rolled rods are treated in an acid bath (pickling) to remove surface oxides (scale) and dirt to ensure a clean surface.
* Cold Drawing: The wire is pulled through a series of successively smaller dies, reducing its diameter and increasing tensile strength.
* Dry Drawing: Used for larger diameters, typically without lubricants.
* Wet Drawing: Used for finer wire (< 0.80 0.80mm), where the wire passes through diamond dies submerged in lubricant.
* Annealing (Heat Treatment): To counteract work hardening from drawing, the wire is heated (800–900°C) and cooled to restore ductility. This may be done multiple times during production (intermediate annealing).
* Surface Treatment & Finishing: The wire is finished through methods such as: * Annealing (Bright or Oxidized): Produces a bright or dull finish.
* Coating: Applying, lubricants or coatings to aid in future fabrication.
* Straightening & Cutting: The wire is straightened and cut to specific lengths.
* Quality Control: Rigorous testing is performed to check tensile strength, diameter tolerance, and surface quality.
* Packaging: Finished wires are coiled on reels or spools.