Expanded metal

About Expanded metal

Expanded metal is manufactured by the zigzag cutting of a metal plate using a special machine and expanding the plate to form rhomboid or hexagonal holes. Normally, a steel plate is used as original plate, but stainless plate, non-ferrous metal plate such as aluminum, copper, titan or nickel plate and their alloy plate can be also used to produce an expanded metal.

Name of each portion

Symbol description
SW Center-to-center distance shorter direction in mesh
LW Center-to-center distance longer direction in mesh
T Plate thickness
W Feed width
B Length of bond
D Thickness of expanded metal
SWO Shorter length of hole
LWO Longer length of hole
Strands Thin portions in mesh
Bonds Thick portions (intersections) in mesh
L Width of product (hole length direction)
S Length of product (hole width direction)

Types

  • Bond cutting (mechanical cutting)

    L-size cutting at bond portions in alignment with holes

    Full mesh

    S-size cutting at bond portions in alignment with holes

  • Shearing

    Without regard to the completeness of edge holes
    Cutting at strands
    (particularly occurring at the time of re-cutting)

  • Rhombus hole type

    Mesh type of expanded metal, with short bonds

  • Hexagonal hole type

    Mesh type of expanded metal, with long bonds

  • Abacus type

    Product size L x S, in which L is larger than S (examples: 1829×914, 2438×1219, etc.)

  • Tatami-mat type

    Product size L x S, in which L is smaller than S (examples: 914×1829, 1219×2438, etc.)

Standard products

Steel expanded metals are specified in "JIS G3351 (1987) expanded metal."

Types of JIS standard expanded metals

XG grating

Characteristics:
  • Light weight, robust and fire resistant
  • Handling and construction are easy.
  • Significant slip-stopping effect
  • Economical prices and maintenance costs
  • Very beautiful appearance
Uses
Used in various applications such as the floors, corridors, stairsteps and fences of plants, ships, mining stations, buildings, etc.

XS standard

Characteristics
  • Holes are orderly arranged. Impact durability is high.
  • Light weight and robust
  • Beautiful appearance suitable to decorative applications
  • Like XG, the XS standard is excellent in light passage and air permeability, easy to process and economical.
Uses
XS standard has infinite applications such as protective fence, partition, power plant's cable rack, ventilation window, basket, fence, handrail, protective net, electric equipment, furniture and concrete reinforcement material.

Expanded metal laths

Expanded metal laths are metal plates made of aluminum, stainless steel, brass, titan, nickel, etc. having relatively small holes (cut and expanded holes) and are excellent in decoration and functions. Because of their three-dimensional structure, they irregularly reflect light and have beautiful appearance. Seeing through them is difficult, but because they have large ventilation area, they are used as the ventilators and grill ornaments of vehicles, ships and airplanes. They are widely used also in electric equipment, air-conditioning equipment and construction. Their applications are expanding in various fields.

XF flat type

Bumps on expanded metal surface are suitable to many applications, but depending on the application, they can become a demerit. For such an application, expanded metal is subject to skin pass rolling to obtain XF whose strands and bonds are level with the plane. However, forcibly flattening the bumps makes the expanded metal out of the JIS standard in terms of size. XF flat type is widely used, for example as partition between buildings, fence, window bar, vent, window screen, net rack, birdcage and flower stand. XF flat type is also used as an alternative to punched metal.
Characteristics
  • Making a standard expanded metal subject to skin pass rolling flattens the entire mesh without bumps.
  • Beautiful mesh pattern, light weight and robust
  • Low unit price

Strut grating

Strut grating is a slip-stopping steel scaffolding plate having sawtooth-like holes. The protruding sawtooth-like holes exert strong frictional forces in every direction, so they ensure high safety in field work.
expanded metal mesh