Wire drawing process for steel is used for the reduction of cross-section of the rod. It is a metal working process and is of industrial use. The basic process behind wire and rod drawing process is reduction of the cross section of the rod by pulling the wire through one or more drawing dies. As the wire is pulled through the draw dies it keeps on shaping itself and thus is drawn.
Drawing is a widely used process because of its unbeatable advantages over any other procedure. The advantages of wire and rod drawing of other applications are:
- Good surface finishing
- Adaptability to mass production
- Close dimensional control
- Improved dimensional properties
- Economical benefits
The process of drawing is as follows:
- Preparation of the drawing material: It involves the processes of annealing, cleaning and pointing. Annealing increases the ductility of the material, cleaning prevents damage of the working surface and draw die while pointing involves reduction of diameter so that the material can be inserted into the draw die to start the process.
Sometimes lubrication of the material surface is done before the cleaning process begins.
This is the most important step of drawing and must be performed properly. The perfection of this step determines the perfection in the whole process.
- The pointed end of the wire rounds is then gripped by the carriage jaws to initiate the drawing process. The wire passes through one or more drawing dies for the process. This process is undertaken by the automated machines and only require supervision. The supervision is not simple either, the operator has to check that the lubricants are present in the soap containers and that the wires are experiencing the least possible friction. The operator also has to check if the wire is round. The wire may change its shape during transitions from one draw die to the other.
- Since the whole process is dependent upon pulling the wire through the drawing dies, both the wire and the drawing dies have a risk factor of wear and tear due to friction and heat formation. Even though the cleaning process attempts at preventing the damage, it is not enough. It requires the use of lubricant to eliminate the damage risk completely. Lubricants not only prevent the damage but also increase the efficiency and quality of the wire produced after drawing. Evidently, lubricants play a key role in wire and rod drawing of steel.
- The wire drawing lubricants manufacturers in India manufacture the best lubricating wire drawing lubricants. Therefore, choosing the wire drawing lubricants is not a difficult task today. There are many varieties of lubricants as per requirement available in the market which are easily accessible. Customers can select the one that suits their requirement.