Expanded Metals Industry Information

Expanded metal is a sheet of metal which has been slit and expanded up to ten times its original width. Expanded metal manufacturers simultaneously slit and stretch the metal to form a solid piece construction, which has a meshed, diamond-shape cutout pattern. Expanded metal is finished product that offers versatility, durability, and excellent weight-to-strength ratio. It can be adapted for use in almost any application, and comes in a wide range of styles and finishes.

Expanded metal manufacturers produce three primary types of expanded metal: flattened, unflattened or standard, and decorative. Flattened expanded metal, which has been cold-rolled after expansion to provide a smooth, flat, level sheet. This flattening reduces the thickness of the metal by about ten percent. Unflattened or standard expanded metal comes directly from the press with a raised texture. It is more rigid than flattened expanded metal. Decorative expanded metal is produced with a variety of mesh patterns.

Expanded metal may be used in a variety of applications and industries. The metal may be used for architectural panels, stairs, gratings, vents, drying racks, flooring, enclosures, ramps, fencing, walkways, grilles, and security partitions. When rigidity, strength, light weight, and the free passage of air and light are needed, expanded metal is a versatile and functional product.

Expanded metal manufacturers offer a wide range of mesh patterns, materials and finishes to suit many applications. Normally, the metals used in production of expanded metal are carbon, steel, aluminum and stainless steel. Copper, silver, nickel and other ferrous and non-ferrous metals may also be used in decorative applications. Finishes include galvanized, porcelain enameled, painted, lacquered, plastic coated and anodized. Because of its versatility and strength, expanded metal is in high demand in many industrial and commercial settings.

Perforated and expanded metals are fabricated differently. While perforated metals are punched, expanded metals are simultaneously slit and stretched, a process which uses less raw material and creates no scrap. Although the two have several overlapping uses, overall expanded metals are more useful in industrial and architectural applications, whereas perforated metals perform unique tasks in technical industries such as sound, lighting, electronics and radio wave. Perforated metals perform tasks such as sound absorption, microwave absorption, architectural decoration and filtering which less costly expanded metals cannot; for this reason, both perforated metals and expanded metals continue to be popular materials in their own respective markets.

Expanded Metals Images Provided by Niles Expanded Metals & Plastics Examples of Expanded Metal Patterns All Images Provided by Niles Expanded Metals & Plastics Decorative Diamond Hexagonal Round Square