Solving Wire Forming Mysteries Requires Knowledge, Expertise & Persistence

Acme Wire Products Co. knew the basic requirements of a recent project—smooth, burr-free edges and ease of mating with a structural frame. But it didn’t know the identity of the end customer or the end use of the final product.

To help devise the best solution possible, the wire forming leader’s engineers needed to know the end use, or at least needed more details.

Additional information, however, wasn’t forthcoming from the New England design engineering firm that contacted Acme Wire Products with the series of design proposals for wire forms for the new project. The engineering firm was concerned that any additional information would lead to news of the proprietary product being leaked to the public.

“Asking about the end product use and the environment the part will be used in helps us to provide better feedback as to the best material and wire form design for the application,” explained Michael Planeta, VP Manufacturing of the Mystic-based wire forming company. “We really didn’t care what the product was.”

Acme Wire Products suggested several mounting styles for the wire forms, including formed loops, welded mounting tabs, threaded inserts and swaging and piercing the ends of the wire – all in hopes of meeting the end customer’s expectations for the final, unknown product.

The project was ultimately revealed to be a wire form bag holder frame for a personal transporter, but it could have just as easily been a medical, aerospace, telecom or business equipment application, Planeta said. “Acme Wire Products is regularly asked to work on new programs, and we have no problem signing and maintaining confidentiality agreements.”

Of course, it wasn’t the first time that Acme Wire Products faced a difficult design assignment. “Many times, we don’t know what the end product will be,” Planeta said. “We are regularly contacted by product designers and design engineers to assist in the development of new wire forming projects.”

“Designers will come to our engineering showroom in Mystic to discuss different ways of designing their new project to use the most cost-efficient properties of wire design,” he said.  “At the showroom, they can see how different design features have been implemented in other applications and can envision how those features may work on their project.  We also include a tour of our manufacturing facility so they can see how the parts are manufactured which gives the product designer additional insight to the intricacies of wire forming and fabrication.”

Planeta noted that product development assistance has a number of benefits:

• Lower production costs
• Problem-free fabrication
• A lower end cost for the customer
• A better end product

The engineering team at Acme Wire Products assists in new product development and production for steel and stainless steel wire components, Planeta said, adding that production quantities range from the 100’s to the 10,000’s, with material diameters from .060 to .500 inches in mild steel and stainless steel.

Founded in 1970, Acme Wire Products produces custom engineered steel and stainless steel wire and metal components from simple to sophisticated. Contact us now to take advantage of our wire forming design and engineering expertise.