Bekaert is an industry leader in matching your requirements with state of the art processes and protective coatings. With our advanced research center in Belgium, our engineers are focused on creating the next generation of products, offering creative solutions and technical support world wide.
Products
Galvanized Wire
The process of galvanizing wire is to provide a protective barrier between steel wire and the environment. Zinc is most commonly used because it offers excellent cathodic protection. In other words, it is a natural characteristic of zinc to "sacrifice" itself in order to protect the steel from rust and corrosion. The coating weight, or thickness, of the zinc is determined by weighing such considerations as; life expectancy of the wire, the type of environment the wire will be exposed to, and cost. While there are a number of methods available, the two most common, and efficient ways to galvanize wire are electro galvanizing & hot-dip galvanizing. While both provide excellent corrosive properties, the manufacturing methods vary. Bekaert is able to provide both methods and uses only the purest zinc available.
Bekaert's many years of supplying wire for all conditions throughout the world; for a countless number of applications, brings a wealth of knowledge to our customer and allows the customer to select the correct galvanized coating for your particular application.
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Electro galvanizing
In this manufacturing process the steel wire passes thru an electrolyte bath. Zinc is dissolved into anode solution and the process of electrolysis deposits the zinc onto the cathode; which in this process is the steel wire. The result is a uniform coating of zinc that completely surrounds and is bonded to the steel wire. The thickness of the coating is determined by the amount of time and electrical current the wire & bath are exposed to. Bekaert's electro galvanizing process produces a smooth, clean zinc coating, typically grey to light-silver in color and is commonly used for springs, staples, fencing products and many more products.
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Hot-Dip Galvanizing
The most common form of galvanizing, hot-dip galvanizing, is a process in which the steel wire is passed thru a bath of molten zinc. This process forms a metallurgic, or chemical bond with the steel wire, and results in a number of alloy layers between the steel and the zinc surface. These layers, along with the outer zinc layer provide excellent corrosion protection for the steel wire. The level of protection is determined by how much excess zinc is wiped away when the wire exits the bath. The finished surface of hot-dip wire is semi-bright silver color and is typically coated with a very fine wax in order to maintain the shine longer and improve payoff of the wire.
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Both processes afford Bekaert the ability to further enhance these coatings and provide additional protections and visual improvements to galvanized steel wire. Bekaert's technological leadership has given us the ability to provide the finest finishes in the world.
Redrawn Wires
Bekaert has the ability to redraw a finished galvanized coating. A redrawn wire is the process of drawing an existing galvanized wire to an even smaller diameter. By doing so, Bekaert can provide a smooth, uniform zinc coating on the smallest of wires while maintaining the highest coating weights possible. Although available for low carbon applications, redrawn wire is typically used for high carbon drawing applications that require extremely high tensiles. Bekaert is a leader in this industry segment and is capable of providing galvanized steel wire with tensiles as high as 400,000psi. Typical uses of redrawn wire include products such as, control cables, armored cables, and high tensile springs.
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Die Polished Wires
One of the newest Bekaert advances, Brilliant wire is a special process where hot-dip galvanized wire is manufactured to produce an extremely bright & smooth finish that rivals that of zinc plating, but includes a degree of corrosion protection that can exceed even a standard galvanized wire.
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