Your Source for Annealed Stainless Steel Wire
Our Wire Manufacturing Capabilities / What Is Annealing? / Annealing vs. Tempering / Metal Alloys / Choose Brookfield
Looking for a manufacturer of high-quality annealed steel wire? Brookfield has been developing custom flat, round, and shaped wire products since 1947. When you need reliable bulk wire, Brookfield is your best resource.
As a leading stainless steel wire supplier in America, we design our annealed stainless steel wire products to meet the quality and performance requirements for virtually any project. Choosing Brookfield means you receive stainless steel wire that is easy to clean, corrosion-resistant, and eco-friendly. Annealed steel wire is a low-carbon steel wire that’s annealed to increase ductility and decrease hardness. That means the annealed steel wire is more flexible without losing durability. That’s why annealed steel wire is used in self-typing and self-locking applications, and is used in industries ranging from agriculture to aerospace.
With a 70,000 square-foot manufacturing facility and state-of-the-art equipment, we can complete high-volume projects with quick lead times and competitive pricing. We can even develop custom solutions to adjust our standard wire products for optimal performance in your application. This allows us to deliver the finest steel wire solutions on the market while working within your schedule and budget. If you are looking for annealed stainless steel wire, you can depend on Brookfield.
Our Wire Manufacturing Capabilities
Ultra-fine wire drawing is a Brookfield specialty. In fact, we can draw wire to the exact gauges, anneals, tempers, and finishes you need at diameters from .006″ to .250″. We also offer multiple packaging and spooling options to meet the unique shipment and delivery requirements.
Brookfield draws countless tons of stainless steel, nickel, and various other types of annealed wire each year. So, you can rely on our wire drawing specialists to deliver the high-quality wire products you need. Here are some other benefits of choosing our precision wire drawing services:
Our wire drawing methods also allow us to apply anneals at any point during production. This means we can create the ideal stainless steel wire products for nearly any job. But what is annealing and how is it different from tempering?
What Is Annealing?
Annealing stainless steel is a heat-treating process that actively improves the physical properties and even the chemical properties of metal alloys. Its main function is to reduce the overall hardness of the metal and increase ductility to make the metal more workable during processing.
The annealing process involves heating the alloy above its specific recrystallization temperature, maintaining that temperature for a predetermined time span, and cooling it down. This process is adjusted depending on what type of metal is being annealed.
The three stages of annealing are as follows: Recovery, Recrystallization, and Grain Growth. Grains develop during the first two phases, and the final phases fully develop those grains. The resulting softness from the anneal makes shaping and forming the metal much easier. Without annealing, the hard, brittle metal would split and crack, making it impossible to create certain products.
So how does this differ from tempering? Is it just a different name for heat treatment?
Annealing vs. Tempering
While tempering is a type of heat treatment, it does not have the same function as annealing. This process enhances the toughness of brittle metals to prevent damage during processing. Annealing, on the other hand, increases ductility and flexibility to facilitate metal shaping and forming.
The tempering process is fairly similar to annealing, however. It involves reaching a temperature slightly below the metal’s lower critical temperature, maintaining that temperature for some time, and cooling it at a specific rate. The temperature and rate of cooling are determined by the materials and the mechanical properties you need from the metal.
Some advantages of tempering include reducing internal stress, improving corrosion resistance, minimizing brittleness, and maximizing strength. Brookfield can produce steel wire with a full range of anneals and tempers. We also offer a full selection of quality metal alloys, so you receive the best wire for the job.
Our Metal Alloy Selection
Global purchasing gives Brookfield customers access to all alloys of 300 series austenitic stainless steel and many other alloys. With our electric strand annealing furnaces, we can process almost any type of wire for rolling, shaping, or die drawing. This allows us to tailor our solutions to a wide variety of industries including automotive, medical, agriculture, aerospace, and more!
Here at Brookfield, we only acquire materials from domestic and NATO resources. This ensures our customers always receive the best annealed stainless steel wire solutions on the market. Check out our standard selection of alloys below:
300 Series Stainless Steel
Other Standard Alloys
Choose Brookfield as Your Annealed Steel Wire Supplier
If you are searching for a reputable manufacturer of annealed stainless steel wire, contact the Brookfield Wire, LLC. We are an ISO 9001:2015 Certified Wire manufacturer, so you can trust us to develop the best custom wire solutions for any application.
We welcome any inquiries and questions about acquiring unique alloys and materials or discussing any of our other 50+ standard metal alloys, so give us a call today!
