Rieter

Manufacture of metallic clothing

Index

The starting material is round wire, which is rolled in several stages to give the desired profile (Fig. 122). This profiled stock is passed through a cutting machine. Here, a high-precision cutting tool, corresponding exactly to the shape of the gap between two teeth, punches (cuts) the wire away piece by piece between the teeth, which remain after the cutting operation. It is of the utmost importance that the dimensions are held within the finest tolerance limits. Hardening immediately follows cutting, i.e. the wire is passed through a flame and a quenching bath. Here also a high degree of uniformity is required, this time in the hardness achieved. The required ‘feel’ for this operation can only be appreciated when it is realized that in fine clothing the tip of the tooth has a thickness of only 0.05 - 0.06 mm.

Fig. 122 – Forming the wire profile for metallic clothing