Expanded metal converts solid sheet or plate metals into a material with diamond-shaped openings joined by continuous, uniform strands.

The simultaneous slitting and stretching process generates an expanded material with essentially no scrap. The result is a strong, structurally sound, non-raveling metal product that permits the passage of heat, fluids, light, sound, and air.

  • Increased pattern size improves cost effectiveness.
  • Varied strand width changes appearance and weight.
  • Standard (“raised” or “unflattened”) expanded metal provides additional strength and rigidity over flattened expanded.
  • Flattening smoothes the surface. Versatile and functional, expanded metal becomes an economical component in many designs. Its ability to be engineered to specific applications yields a product uniquely suited to its end use.

The Expanded Process:

  1. Sheet or plate is advanced beyond the face of the bottom die an amount equal to the strand width before flattening.
  2. The top die then descends and simultaneously slits and cold forms an entire row of half diamonds.
  3. The top die then ascends and moves one half of a diamond to the right as the base sheet or plate moves forward one strand width.
  4. The top die descends, slits and forms another full row of half-diamonds completing a row of full diamonds in two strokes.
  5. The die then ascends and returns to its initial position.
  6. This process then continually repeats until the full sheet of expanded metal is completed.

Although there are standard designs, expanded metal is almost infinitely variable in pattern and can be specified to achieve whatever characteristics are most critical.

Versatile and functional, expanded metal becomes an economical component in many designs. Its ability to be engineered to specific applications yields a product uniquely suited to its end use.

Expanded Metal Advantages

Characteristics that may make expanded a better fit for certain applications than other screen products are no scrap and no raveling. The expanded process actually increases the raw material yield, and will not ravel as can wire cloth.

Perforated Metals, Plastics and Composites

The perforating process converts solid sheet or coil into a material with an array of holes in various patterns which are punched to your specifications. A wide variety of patterns, including round holes, square holes, rectangles, triangles, slots and decorative patterns are all possible. And the arrangement of the holes is widely variable. Hole sizes range from .020” to up to ¾” inch in diameter on our high-speed process, and up to more than three inches on our CNC sectional process.

Perforated metal applications are widely varied, and new applications for perforated products are emerging regularly. Application examples include filtration, noise control, automotive, aircraft, lighting, HVAC, electronics, appliances, and architectural uses. Sustained growth in the use of perforated materials strongly suggests that just the surface has been scratched for potential applications.

Perforated Advantages

At Metalex we employ a high speed, “all-across” manufacturing method that can perforate the full width of the material, up to 60” wide, in one pass through the press, in a wide variety of patterns. And our ability to numerically control the process allows us to program non perforated borders and solid areas within the part. Therefore, a frame can be incorporated into the finished perforated part without the need for additional fabrication. Additionally, non-perforated or “safe” edges also facilitate easy handling.