Unless you work in a specialised industry, there is no reason to assume you have given wire any more than a passing thought in the past several... Well, it is quite possible you have never given wire much thought. Yes, that is right; we are talking about wire, that pliable metal, which is used to wrap and contain other objects, such as hay or trash.

But, just because you have never seriously given much thought to wire, that does not mean it has lost its importance in the world. Old bits of baling wires are a farmer’s best friend. And, if you live in certain areas, your power may have been generated from refuse incineration. It was wire that bundled and helped to transport that trash to the plant that transformed it.

Baling wire is considered to be one of the greatest inventions of all time. Yep, it is up there with penicillin and fire in terms of the impact it has had on modern life. But, as you may have never considered it before, here is what you need to know.

The Basics of Baling Wire

Baling wire is the broad term applied to wires used to secure bales – or piles. Baling can be completed automatically, through the use of baling machines, but it can also be done by hand. While hand baling is hardly most people’s idea of fun, there are times when it is required, and specialised baling wire is required to do the job.

Many different items are baled together, such as hay for farm animals. Indeed, the agricultural industry has long been a client of the wire manufacturing world. But there are plenty of other industries that make use of baling wire. For example, steel stockholders require sturdy baling wire for both the storage and the transport of their product.

Baling wire is high on the list of supplies needed within the waste management, recycling and waste incineration industries. Trash that has been compacted and destined for a landfill stay is bound together using baling wire. Articles that leave your home for recycling centres are first delivered to sorting centres, before being baled and sent on to the next step. And, yes, baling wire holds garbage in place during its transformation into fuel.

Technically, any wire using in any baling process can be considered baling wire, through only a couple common types of wire are manufactured and distributed as baling wire: galvanised wire and black annealed wire.

Galvanised Wire

Wire is created by drawing it through a machine so that it is stretched and shaped into a specific diameter width. This basic wire, called “cold wire”, is often used for purposes that require the metal to be coated with a plastic finish, such as animal cages and shopping trolleys. In this case, the plastic protects the metal from the elements.

Galvanised wire is not coated with plastic, but rather an application of molten zinc. The process of dipping metal into a molten bath of another metal (usually zinc) to infuse the first with additional properties is called galvanisation. There are many reasons to galvanise metal, but the main one is to protect it from the world so it can remain resilient regardless of the weather. The galvanising process slows a metals susceptibility to rust, though this does depend on the various concentrations of zinc used in the process.

Few wire manufacturers in Europe have the capabilities to manufacture galvanised wire with the precision required. D R Baling Wire is one of the few. Galvanised wire is sold in two key forms:

• Galvanised Formers – Tall coils holding long lengths of wire are known as formers. Galvanised wire that is cut and distributed this way is often used for baling plastic bottles and polythene.
• Cut and Looped Wire – These are individual lengths of galvanised wire, which are used in conditions where hand baling needs meet with strict hygiene controls.

Black Annealed Wire

Like galvanised wire, black annealed wire is also treated after the drawing process. Only, rather than being dipped into a bath to combine the wire with other metals, an annealing furnace is used. Wire is left inside the furnace for several hours at extremely high temperatures, which draws out the properties required in baling wire. This reinvigorates the wire with its original ductile qualities which are typically lost in the drawing process. The process of annealing is, of course, how the wire assumes the adjective black in its name.

Different uses of black annealed wire require different tensile strength. In addition, a variety of cuts and forms are needed to satisfy the varying requirements of the industries using baling wire.

• Rewound Coils – These are precision cut wire coils that are created to work with automatic baling machinery. Although there are typical lengths, widths are customisable according to each order. Typically, rewound coils are shrink-wrapped and packed on pallets for delivery to clients.
• Catchweight Coils – Catchweight coils are manufactured primarily for use by steel stockholders. With diameters usually ranging from 1mm-5mm and coils selling in minimal weights of around 20 kilograms, these can clearly be customised to suit any client’s needs.
• Formers – These are the way that most businesses in the waste management, recycling and waste incineration industries order their black annealed wire. Formers are produced according to client specification and are available in any tensile strength.
• Cut and Looped – This form of black annealed wire is produced for manual tying. Lengths are pre-cut, and a loop is created at one end of the wire. Cut and looped wires are sold in packages which are determined by the individual needs of the client.
• Cut Bars – Pre-cut black annealed wire sold is sold as cut bars for use in the galvanising industry. They are used to dip metal into the molten baths of zinc. Indeed, annealed wire is used in the manufacture of galvanised wire.

Strangely enough, without all these different forms, lengths, weights, and tensile strengths, the world would be a wildly different place.

To talk to one of D R Baling Wire Manufacturers’ experts, please visit our website: http://www.drbalingwire.co.uk/