The Many Uses of Custom Wire Forms

Custom wire forms are essential to applications across various industries. They are highly durable and can fit seamlessly into complex systems and designs, making them an integral component for maintaining and manufacturing industrial equipment. This blog will discuss the different applications of custom wire forms, from custom wire clamps to medical devices, and how they can be used to meet industry-specific requirements.

What is a Custom Wire Form?

Custom wire forms are made by manipulating precisely cut lengths of metal material into complex two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. They are frequently used in fastening, supporting, or securing applications and come in a range of sizes and configurations. Read on to learn about common uses for custom wire forms.

Common Applications of Custom Wire Forms

Custom wire forming can meet the specific needs of a wide variety of applications, including:

Automotive

Wire forms are integral to the mechanical function and structural integrity of vehicles. Customizing wire forms results in more durable parts that can withstand vibrations, temperature fluctuations, and other factors commonly seen in automotive applications. As such, they can be used in engine components such as:

• Retaining clips
• Connectors
• Springs

They also play a role in seatbelt systems and airbag deployment mechanisms. Manufacturers can utilize corrosion-resistant, durable materials to ensure that components can fit into tight spaces.

Construction

Custom wire forms are widely used in the assembly of prefabricated modules, as ties in scaffolding, and in concrete reinforcements. They are also commonly found in:

• Anchors
• Connectors
• Reinforcements

Custom wire forming meets the unique challenges of construction applications, maintaining structural integrity while ensuring longevity despite the ongoing influence of environmental factors and physical stressors. Wire form manufacturers can engineer custom wire forms using galvanized or high-tensile steel to increase durability, strength, and load-bearing capacity. These materials are also inherently resistant to corrosion, with epoxy and other special coatings available to further protect custom wire forms from moisture exposure and other environmental conditions.

Electronics

The electronics industry uses wire forms as connectors, clips, contacts, and springs for the following devices:

• Communication infrastructure
• Computer laptops
• Servers
• Smartphones

Custom wire forming for electronics applications involves miniaturization and precision to ensure proper fit and performance in small spaces. Design materials such as stainless steel, copper, brass, and nickel alloys offer excellent conductivity properties with high corrosion and heat resistance. Custom wire forms are intricately designed to maintain consistent connections in electronics while meeting tight tolerances. They can include insulative material coating options to ensure reliability and lasting longevity.

Medical Devices

Custom wire forms are crucial to meet the demands of various medical devices and life-supporting equipment, such as:

• Hospital beds
• Mobility aids
• Orthodontics
• Springs for valves and pumps
• Surgical tools

Custom wire forms for hospitals and healthcare settings can be used to guide, clamp, or otherwise support critical functions in high-stakes scenarios where precision is vital. They must use medical-grade materials to comply with stringent industry regulations and standards. Those materials must also be able to withstand repeated use and exposure to bodily tissues and fluids.

Customization enables precise crafting for exact fits, along with smooth finishes to prevent any infections or adverse reactions.

Custom Wire Forms at Rockford Specialties

As a leading wire form manufacturer, Rockford Specialties Co. has over 40 years of experience providing in-house fabrication, tooling, and engineering services, with the capabilities to produce even the most challenging custom wire form configurations. Whether for medical, automotive, or construction industries, we can help you devise the right solution for your application.

Contact us today to learn how our custom wire forming can transform the performance and longevity of your next project.

Wire Forming in the Furniture Industry

Wire forming is a mechanical manufacturing method with a long history, and it remains a widespread technique today. It involves bending, coiling, shaping, or flattening a length of wire into a desired form, such as a hook, clip, spring, pin, or other shape.

There are several ways to form wire into shapes, depending on the application, component design, and type of wire being used. These include:

• Manual Wire Forming. This uses handheld tools to apply the force needed to create bends and curves.
• Coil Wire Forming. Specialized equipment tightly coils wire into spring shapes.
• Fourslide Wire Forming. A piece of wire is fed into a machine with cams that drive dies into the wire from four different directions to create complex shapes or features.
• CNC Wire Forming. Computer numerical control (CNC) machines are programmed to apply force and bend wire with great precision and speed.

In furniture industry applications, wire forming is often used to make structural, fastening, coiled, and other components. Wire components may be installed in furniture frames with fasteners, attached to the outside of pieces, or even welded into a gridwork or mesh panel. Keep reading for more examples of how wire forming is used.

Office Furniture

Wire formed components are often used to make furniture more durable, ergonomic, and comfortable for the end consumer. The wire material and gauge are determined by things like loading requirements, flexibility versus rigidity of the design, exposure to moisture or outdoor conditions, and secondary finishing processes like paint or powder coating.

Office furniture applications include things like:

• Shelving
• Computer and desk chair springs
• Internal cushion reinforcements
• Pins to secure telescoping tubes on height-adjustable desks and tables
• Hooks used to link rows of chairs
• Storage baskets
• Mesh panels for benches, furniture panels, or tabletops

Consumer Furniture

Home and consumer furnishings often include wire formed elements, some visible and some providing structure inside larger pieces. This category includes both indoor and outdoor items, so options like stainless steel or powder coated or painted steel wire may be appropriate for some applications.

Examples include:

• Reinforcing grids or frames for sofas, lounge chairs, recliners, or dining chairs
• Mattress springs
• Handles, racks, or shelves in bookcases or kitchen carts
• Wire mesh panels on benches or baskets
• Decorative elements on chairbacks, table legs, or shelves
• Lawn chairs, benches, or tables

Stadium Seating

Heavier gauge wire can also be used to reinforce, connect, and secure banks of stadium seating, typically found in areas and other large venues. These applications are often exposed to wind, rain, snow, and UV radiation, and receive heavy use. Seating designed with flip-down seats may also use wire coiled into torsion springs to help retract and hold seats out of the way when not in use.

Custom Furniture Wire Forming From Rockford Specialties

Rockford Specialties serves the furniture and other industries as a full-service wire forming manufacturer specializing in custom steel and stainless steel wire components. We rely on our state-of-the-art metal fabrication equipment and offer secondary services to protect and finish wire components for a variety of applications. Finishing options include plating (i.e., zinc, nickel, chrome), powder coating, electropolishing, nylon coating, and vinyl coating. Laser cutting, welding, and assembly are also available, along with engineering support and prototyping for project success.

For over 40 years we have provided high-quality wire formed components and products in both large and small quantities. We work with companies of many sizes to supply custom wire forms that meet their requirements, from small local businesses to national names like furniture manufacturer Herman Miller.

Contact us today to learn more about our wire forming capabilities and to discuss your application!

Wire Forming for the Food Industry

Commercial kitchens, cafeterias, and other food service and preparation facilities often turn to wire formed products for cooking and storage. Food safe materials like stainless steel and specialized nylon coatings and nickel plating make wire forming a versatile and cost-effective solution for many food and beverage applications. By applying mechanical force to wire material, it can be bent, shaped, flattened, or coiled into specific forms. These can be welded into assemblies, coated, or further finished to meet application needs.

Here we’ll look at some examples of wire formed items commonly used in food and beverage industry settings. We’ll also show how Rockford Specialties can manufacture these and more, drawing on our decades of experience with custom wire forming and laser cutting.

Food Grill Grates and Smoker Racks

Materials for grilling and smoking racks must be sturdy to support the weight of food, and made from stainless steel to withstand high temperatures, flames, and acidic marinades. Heavy gauge wire and secure welding are used to create a grid that resists warping or bending.

Why Custom Wire Forming Capabilities Matter

Custom wire formed grills and racks can be designed for your specific cooking applications, equipment, and processes. Slight variations are needed for baking, grilling, broiling, and smoking, as well as restaurant versus industrial plant settings. Look for a manufacturing partner, such as Rockford, with comprehensive wire forming capabilities to meet your product criteria, such as:

Wire Frying Baskets

Another wire forming application in the food and beverage industry is frying baskets. Wire baskets come in a range of shapes and sizes for preparing items from french fries to breaded chicken to deep-fried confections. Regardless of the food being prepared, fry baskets need to be robust enough to withstand high temperatures and immersion in hot oil, but also lightweight and open to allow the contents to cook evenly. The basket design must also be compatible with frying tanks and drainage racks, and include handles for safe and efficient handling.

Custom Baskets Tailored to the Ingredients and Cooking Process

Look for a wire forming specialist that can manufacture baskets in a range of sizes and wire materials and gauges to meet the needs of the process, ingredients, and production volume. The best suppliers will partner with customers to create products made to their specifications at competitive prices. Services like an in-house engineering and design team and the ability to accommodate short-term and long-term production runs save hassle and improve turnaround times.

Food Racks and Shelves

Racks and shelves are common in ovens and drying units in which food is cooked or dehydrated. Many foods intended for consumption by humans or by animals also require cooling, drying, or storage during production. Sturdy wire shelves and racks help keep products sanitary and allow for airflow to prevent spoilage. They can also be used in retail or wholesale stores to store or display food products.

Construction Details and Finishing Options

Attention to detail is often the difference between a product that is sufficient and one that stands up to continual use, especially when it comes to cooking and food preparation. Precision cuts, well-formed welds, and careful finishing all add up to racks and shelves that are strong and durable for daily commercial or industrial use. Rockford Specialties offers the fit and finish options that make cleaning easier and contribute to a long service life, including:

Wire Forming for Food and Beverage Applications from Rockford Specialties

Established in 1979, Rockford Specialties has been meeting the needs of many industries, including the food service industry, with high-quality custom wire-formed products. Our family-owned company has continued to invest in practices that result in on-time delivery, competitive pricing, quality assurance, and unsurpassed customer service.

Contact us today to learn more about Rockford Specialties and our custom wire-forming capabilities.