steel wire rope manufacturing process made in china

Wire ropes can be seen everywhere around us, they are made of strands or bundles of individual wires constructed around an independent core, suitable for construction, industrial, fitness, commercial, architectural, agricultural, and marine rigging applications.

Wire rod is made from high carbon steel wires(0.35 to 0.85 percent carbon) in a hot rolling process of a required diameter, usually from 5.5mm to 8 mm.

Wire rod is drawn to the required diameter by the 1st drawing machine after descaling dust and rust, adding mechanical properties suitable for application.

Positioning the wires different or the same size lay in multiple layers and same direction, or cross lay and diameter is maintained by one-third of the rope size.

So in theory, it is very simple to manufacture wire ropes. However there are many more details that must be closely monitored and controlled, and this requires time and experienced personnel since it is a super complicated project you cannot imagine.

Established in 2005, Jiangsu Safety Steel Wire Rope Co., Ltd. is a professional steel wire rope manufacturer and exporter with a profound experience. The company is located in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China covering an area of 57,108.70 square meters. They have a total annual production of steel wire rope is 25000 to 30000 tons and a registered capital 13 million U.S. dollars. Jiangsu Safety Steel Wire Rope Co., Ltd. has plenty of high-quality products to offer.Toho-Rongkee

Chongqing Toho-Rongkee Electronic and Machinery Co., Ltd is one of the best wire rope manufacturers in China that follows ISO 9001:2008, TUV, CE, SGS qualification standard on every production method and fabricated. Also offer a wide range of lifting tools, equipment, and various riggings that meet your standards. Employs over 1000 skilled workers and staff in 7 advanced factories in China.Tianli Stainless Steel Products Co., Ltd

Tianli Stainless Steel Products Co., Ltd is specialized in manufacturing steel wire ropes headquarters in Dainan Town, Jiangsu Province China. Currently having more than 50 existing employees in over 6600 square meters factory area. They can provide excellent advice and assistance to ensure you obtain the right products at the lowest cost.Guizhou Wire Rope Incorporated Company

With more than 40 years of manufacturing and technique experience, you can totally rely on Guizhou Wire Rope Incorporated Company, they have excellent production lines, modern production techniques, and excellent quality control systems. All products such as steel wire, pre-stressed wire rope, PVC coated wire rope, etc. are not only famous with excellent quality but in reasonable prices and considerate services in China. This company also receives good popularity in the overseas market.Nantong Jiaan Metal Material Co., Ltd.

Established in 2013, Jiaan Metal Material is one of the respected manufacturers of steel wire rope located in Nantong, Jiangsu, China. All the production methods, from raw material smelting, heat treatment, wire drawing, and rope twisting to physical and chemical performance examining, are under strict and scientific control based on ISO 9001 certification standard.Nantong Lili hardware products Co., Ltd.

Started in 1998, Nantong Lili hardware products Co., Ltd. continually improving and striving to provide high-grade wire rope to customers worldwide. ISO9001:2008, ISO14001:2004 certified company located in Jiangsu, China. They mainly engaged in producing steel wire rope, stainless steel wire, steel strip, stainless steel strip, spring steel strip, spring steel wire, carbon steel wire, and more.Nantong New Jianghai Internation Trade Co., Ltd.

Set up in the year 2016, Nantong New Jianghai Internation Trade Co., Ltd is an expert wire rope provider situated in Nantong, China. Owns advanced technologies and machinery to manufacture a high-class and comprehensive quality solution. They have more than 70 professional employees working and improving products according to ISO9001:2015 authentication.Jiangsu Zhongying Steel Cable Co., Ltd.

Established in 2004, Zhongying Steel Cable is one of the leading manufacturers and reputable provider of steel wire ropes situated in Nantong, Jiangsu, China. Their factory has 80, 000 square meters and the building area is about to 65,000 square meters. Workshops are equipped with advanced producing equipment and comprehensive testing facilities that’s why the partnership with them will bring business satisfaction for you.Qingdao Haito Rigging Hardware Co., Ltd

A large enterprise located in Qingdao, Shandong, China, which engaged in manufacturing rigging hardware such as steel wire rope accessories, wire rope clips, load binder, chain, wire rope, and more. They have an abundant supply of superior quality products. Founded in 2009, Haito Rigging Hardware continuously developed and improving products supported by good experience and professional employees.Gustav Wolf

With over 130 years of experience and development, Gustav Wolf is a leading superior steel wire and steel wire ropes manufacturer associated with quality and safety. Produced products according to ISO9001:2015, ISO14001:2015 certification which can meet your requirements and demands. Employs over 115 hardworking workers and staff who aim to serve customers with honesty, loyalty, and perseverance.Jiangsu Xiangchuan Rope Technology Co., Ltd.

Specialized in manufacturing high-standard wire rope, Xiangchuan Rope Technology is a dedicated supplier and manufacturer with vast experience in the field. Own a modern facility with an area of about 38, 000 square meters and employs 138 staff members and workers. Their advanced production equipment, technical know-how, skilled workers guarantee that in Xiangchuan Rope Technology you have a reliable partner.JULI SLING CO., LTD.

For more than 33 years of experience in creating comprehensive products such as wire rope, JULI SLING earned a good reputation in the steel industry appreciated by foreign and domestics customers. JULI is recognized as a pioneer in China’s lifting and rigging industry, the standard makers in rigging field, the advocate of worldwide rigging civilization. Partnership with this company will skyrocket your business project.Nantong Julong Metal Products Co., Ltd

Nantong Julong Metal Products Co., Ltd is a large private enterprise founded in 2009 that specialized in producing any types of wire rope, headquarters in Jiangsu, China. Get 100% ideal products, at a cost-effective price here in Julong Metal. Be one of their satisfied customers such as in Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Asia, the Middle East, etc.YunFeng Steel Wire Rope Products Ltd.

Located in Jiangsu province, China, YunFeng Steel Wire Rope is a professional manufacturer of all kinds of wire rope offer in excellent quality and reasonable price to customers. They can meet customers’ demands and requirements by manufacturing all kinds of products with international standards.Sinounion Industries

Founded in 1999, Sinounion Industries is a professional Steel Wire Rope manufacturer in China. Also offer Rigging Hardware, Lifting Equipment, and various Forging & Casting products. All products are manufactured according to ISO9001, ISO14001, CE, and GS standards. The company owns a wide factory area in Qingdao, Shandong province with about 35000 square meters.Ningbo BST Metal Products Co., Ltd.

Established in 2002, BST Metal Products is one of the largest and reputable steel wire rope manufacturers in China with an area of 78,000 square meters factory workshop. Backed up by more than 350 professional people & technical engineers who have a vast experience in the field, BST Metal Products ensure great and fast production exceed the national and international guidelines.Jiangsu Yasheng Metal Products Co., Ltd.

As an ISO9001:2015, ISO/TS16949:2009, ISO9001: 2000 certified company, Jiangsu Yasheng Metal Products Co., Ltd. devoted itself to producing excellent products at a favorable cost. If you`re looking for a wire rope manufacturer, then Yasheng Metal Products is the best choice! Get 100% quality products prepared by solid technical strength and professional service team.Chongqing Geyo Machinery corporation

Geyo Machinery corporation a reliable manufacturing company that focuses on research, production, sales, and service of high-quality products. Mainly engaged in manufacturing wire rope, wire rope slings, tamping rammer, power trowel, scarifying machine, etc. They have their own advanced production facilities, expert technical team, and a professional quality control team.SHANGHAIMETAL

Started in the year 1980, SHANGHAIMETAL is a premier wire rope provider. Together with a team of experts, innovative machinery, and dedicated workers, they guarantee absolute customer satisfaction. Shanghai Metal is always passionate about working and supplying excellent services to clients throughout the world. All their products are manufactured with high-quality at a reasonable cost.Huazhuo HD Machinery

Established in 1958, Qingdao Huazhuo HD Machinery Co., Ltd. is a trusted wire rope manufacturer with a profound experience, strong workmanship, and professional service team that ensures the best product at best price offer to clients around the world. A leading supplier of high-standard wire rope, rigging hardware, marine hardware, chain, lifting tools, and other high-grade metal products.

Wire rope is made of plaiting strands of wire – normally medium carbon steel –into a thick cable. The strands are formed around a core. The strands in wire ropes are made of wore twisted together. Strands with smaller diameter wires are less abrasion resistant and more fatigue resistant. Strands made with thicker length of wore are more abrasion resistant and less fatigue resistant.

Left-hand ordinary lay (LHOL) wire rope (close-up). Right-hand lay strands are laid into a left-hand lay rope. Right-hand Lang"s lay (RHLL) wire rope (close-up). Right-hand lay strands are laid into a right-hand lay rope.

Left hand lay or right hand lay describe the manner in which the strands are laid to form the rope. To determine the lay of strands in the rope, a viewer looks at the rope as it points away from them. If the strands appear to turn in a clockwise direction, or like a right-hand thread, as the strands progress away from the viewer, the rope has a right hand lay. The picture of steel wire rope on this page shows a rope with right hand lay. If the strands appear to turn in an anti-clockwise direction, or like a left-hand thread, as the strands progress away from the viewer, the rope has a left hand lay.

Ordinary and Lang"s lay describe the manner in which the wires are laid to form a strand of the wire rope. To determine which has been used first identify if left or right hand lay has been used to make the rope. Then identify if a right or left hand lay has been used to twist the wires in each strand. Ordinary lay The lay of wires in each strand is in the opposite direction to the lay of the strands that form the wire.

Alternate lay The lay of wires in the strands alternate around the rope between being in the opposite and same direction to the lay of the strands that form the wire rope.

The specification of a wire rope type – including the number of wires per strand, the number of strands, and the lay of the rope – is documented using a commonly accepted coding system, consisting of a number of abbreviations.

This is easily demonstrated with a simple example. The rope shown in the figure "Wire rope construction" is designated thus: 6x19 FC RH OL FSWR 6 Number of strands that make up the rope

Each of the sections of the wire rope designation described above is variable. There are therefore a large number of combinations of wire rope that can be specified in this manner. The following abbreviations are commonly used to specify a wire rope. Abbr. Description

The end of a wire rope tends to fray readily, and cannot be easily connected to plant and equipment. A number of different mechanisms exist to secure the ends of wire ropes to make them more useful. The most common and useful type of end fitting for a wire rope is when the end is turned back to form a loop. The loose end is then fixed by any number of methods back to the wire rope.

When the wire rope is terminated with a loop, there is a risk that the wire rope can bend too tightly, especially when the loop is connected to a device that spreads the load over a relatively small area. A thimble can be installed inside the loop to preserve the natural shape of the loop, and protect the cable from pinching and abrasion on the inside of the loop. The use of thimbles in loops is industry best practice. The thimble prevents the load from coming into direct contact with the wires.

A wire rope clamp, also called a clip, is used to fix the loose end of the loop back to the wire rope. It usually consists of a u-shaped bolt, a forged saddle and two nuts. The two layers of wire rope are placed in the u-bolt. The saddle is then fitted over the ropes on to the bolt (the saddle includes two holes to fit to the u-bolt). The nuts secure the arrangement in place. Three or more clamps are usually used to terminate a wire rope.

Swaging is a method of wire rope termination that refers to the installation technique. The purpose of swaging wire rope fittings is to connect two wire rope ends together, or to otherwise terminate one end of wire rope to something else. A mechanical or hydraulic swager is used to compress and deform the fitting, creating a permanent connection. There are many types of swaged fittings. Threaded Studs, Ferrules, Sockets, and Sleeves a few examples.

A socket termination is useful when the fitting needs to be replaced frequently. For example, if the end of a wire rope is in a high-wear region, the rope may be periodically trimmed, requiring the termination hardware to be removed and reapplied. An example of this is on the ends of the drag ropes on a dragline. The end loop of the wire rope enters a tapered opening in the socket, wrapped around a separate component called the wedge. The arrangement is knocked in place, and load gradually eased onto the rope. As the load increases on the wire rope, the wedge become more secure, gripping the rope tighter.

CIVMATS produces high quality stainless steel wire rope. Our annual production capacity is roughly 8000 tons, among which stainless steel wire rope amounts to 400 tons per month. The tolerance of our stainless steel wire rope can be as small as ±0.01mm. CIVMATS produces strictly according to ISO9001:2000. Every product delivered from CIVMATS is a reputation warranty.

Wire rope can be divided into multi-strand wire rope and single-strand wire rope. It is structured with at least two layers of steel wire or a plurality of strands spirally wound around a center or a core. Stainless steel wire rope refers to a steel wire rope made of stainless steel. In dynamic systems, stainless steel wire ropes are widely applied in the lifting of cranes and elevators, the transmission of mechanical power, the control of automobile cockpit poles and the operation of aircraft control systems, etc. In static systems, stainless steel wire ropes are also employed in various industries such as the stability of the sling bridge"s pulling support tower and the design of new railings.

Stainless steel wire rope features high temperature resistance, good fatigue resistance, excellent breaking force, long service life and durability. It is widely used in coal, petroleum, metallurgy, chemical industry, shipbuilding, bridge, electric power, rubber, military, tourism, water conservancy and light industry. The products can be produced according to ISO, BS, DIN, JIS, ABS, LR and other international and foreign advanced standards

In CIVMATS, all of our stainless steel wire ropes are packaged as per international standard to prevent any possible damage or loss. They are neatly wrapped in accurate length with securely tied rope ends. For enhanced customer experience, we also provide dedicated package as per your special requirements.

Our main grades for stainless steel wire rope are 304 and 316. We can also customize stainless steel wire rope as per your specified grades and sizes for your reference.

1. Point contact: The adjacent stainless steel wires contact in the form of point in the strands. The diameters of all the stainless steel wires, excluding the central wire are equal, and the strands are formed by layering.

2. Line contact: There is a linear contact between the adjacent layers of stainless steel wire in the strand, and the strands are made of stainless steel wires of different diameters in one process.

4. Point and line contact: There are two kinds of contact forms between the adjacent layers of stainless steel wires in the strand. The strands are made of wires of different diameters.

1. In the equipment reform of chemical, fertilizer, chemical fiber and other industries, stainless steel wire rope was used for the deployment of the updated equipment.

2. Stainless steel wire ropes are used in the applications of popular stainless steel welding rods and a considerable number of stainless steel components, springs, connecting parts, etc.,

5. Stainless steel wire ropes are also extensively used in railway electrification, decoration industry, rigging industry, fishing gear industry, automobile and motorcycle industry and other industries.

Jiangsu Yasheng Metal Products Co.,Ltd was established in 1996, located in the Chinese well-known township of stainless steel - Dainan town.The company is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters for stainless steel wire ropes and riggings in China.

The production process of hot dipped galvanized steel wire rope is to immerse the wire which has been derusted into the molten zinc solution to coat the surface with zinc. Compared with the electric one, it is more antirust and...

The production process of hot dipped galvanized steel wire rope is to immerse the wire which has been derusted into the molten zinc solution to coat the surface with zinc. Compared with the electric one, it is more antirust and...

According to the characteristics of fishery use environment, SHENWEI offers two types of ropes for the fishing industry: coastal fishing, trawling and Seine fishing. We use high tensile strength galvanized steel wire in Class AB or...

Compacted wire rope refers to a standard rope which has undergone a special process. Rope is either passed through a die or rollers on a special machine to compress the rope.

As outer strands of the rope go through crimping wheels, the strand becomes thicker – metal cross sectional area increases, strand form becomes smoother, and round.

High resistant to corrosion. Excellent ductility for optimal fatigue properties on rope level. Highest breaking strength leading to outperforming steel crane wire ropes.

Life expectancy is 20%~40% higher than that of general point contact wire ropes, and even up to 1~2 times. Choose this kind wire rope in vertical well hoisting can save cost and reduce the frequency of replacement.

PCS is a wholly foreign-owned Enterprise, as subsidiary of PFEIFER Group in China. It covers an area of 10,000 square meters. At present, the company mainly engaged in the import wire rope sales and technical support, covering the entire Chinese mainland Market and Asia Pacific Market.

In crane rope business, PCS has a long-term cooperation with Chinese big OEMS, such as XCMG, ZOOMLION, supporting them varieties of high - quality European crane wire rope. PCS also provides service for LIEBHERR, DEMAG, BAUER, MANITOWOC and some other international construction machinery manufacturers

PCS has gained a high reputation in Elevator industry, providing DRAKO Rope for SCHINDLER, THYSSEN, OTIS and some other elevator companies. Also, PFEIFER DRAKO Products gain a good reputation in coal mine industries. Products are operating in several large coal mines.

They say you should never visit the sausage factory, and that may be true, but the wilfully ignorant are not to be trusted, and steel wire rope is certainly a special type of sausage. It was a visit that put me through the emotional spectrum, from disinterested to bemused, to bewildered, and finally awed at the sheer scale of the operation. It’s a little bit like when you find out where babies come from: Horrifying and weird to begin with, but before long you find yourself utterly fascinated…

Flexible steel wire rope has been one of the mainstays of heavy industry for more than a hundred years. Whether you want to lash down scaff planks, carry out lifting and cranage, use draglines for surface mining, or even pull down a massive statue of Saddam Hussein, wire rope has thousands of applications.

The Wirerope Works factory in Williamsport, Pennsylvania has a long history of producing this essential component of progress in the 20th century, and although cheaper imports from China and India continue to flood the market, the caretakers of the Bethlehem Wire Rope brand are still proud to produce a product of the highest quality on local labour and quality materials.

Based in Lycoming County in Pennsylvania, Wirerope Works (WRW) began its life as the Morrison Patent Wire Rope Company in 1886. The original mill was built upstream on the banks of the Susquehanna River to service the softwood logging industry, however regular flooding led to the relocation and inevitable expansion of the factory in the town of Williamsport.

The design and manufacture of steel wire rope was no longer in its infancy at that stage. The first practical use of steel rope in 1834 was credited to a German mining official named Wilhelm August Julius Albert, who worked at the Clausthal silver mines in Saxony.

Up until that point, all mining haulage was done with hemp fibre rope or chains. In the humid, damp conditions of an underground mine, moisture would cause the ropes to perish from rot, the gradual deterioration reducing their load bearing capacity, so they required frequent replacement.

Chains at that time were no better in terms of safety, as the Bessemer process for making steel was not invented until 1855. Iron chains lacked elasticity, but were also metallurgically inconsistent and therefore, unreliable. A single weak link could make a chain prone to catastrophic failure without warning, and there was no way of knowing which might be the weakest.

That first incarnation of modern steel wire rope was extremely effective for heavy haulage, and much more reliable than rope or chain. Albert Rope, as it came to be known, was a simple construction of three 3.5mm gauge wrought-iron wires, hand-wound into strands, with three or four of those strands wound into a single rope. However, Albert rope lacked the flexibility of rope or chain, meaning it couldn’t be drawn through a pulley sheave, and its use stopped in the 1850s.

But the idea for wire rope had already caught on in England, where thinner wires were woven around a fibre core, with six of those strands woven around a central fibre core, resulting in a more flexible product. This design, as well as a mechanical system for its construction (called a strander), was patented by Robert Newall, who brought the new technology to America, and the boom-time economy of the California Gold Rush.

However, it was in Pennsylvania where a German-born engineer and surveyor named John Roebling began to develop ropes which were entirely constructed of wire. Roebling used a 6/19 construction (6 strands; 19 wires per strand). A strand built of 19 wires of the same gauge resulted in a hexagonal profile, and desiring a round shape Roebling conceived of using three different gauges of wire to achieve that result. The effect of this was to reduce the space inside the rope, tightly packing the wires together, which gave the rope greater stability under load.

With massive demand for coal haulage in Pennsylvania, as well as cable car applications for public transportation, and most importantly civil engineering projects to service, Roebling set up a wire rope factory in 1849 in Trenton, New Jersey. But he wasn’t the first to invest in a factory like that: Other people had the same idea, and wire rope mills were starting to pop up around the United States. In only 14 years wire rope had gone from a hand-made experiment in a German silver mine, to a globally recognised tool of industry with high demand for scaled-up production.

If Roebling had any hubris about cashing in on this amazing new invention, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a little dampened when his arm and shoulder were horrifically mangled in an accident with one of his stranding machines. But it would seem that Roebling’s interest in wire rope was not strictly for profit, however, as he had for some time harboured a bit of an obsession with sketching suspension bridges. He was a big fan of the expansionist philosophy of Manifest Destiny, and had been very keen on establishing a utopian settlement called Germania (now the town of Saxonburg), where people like him trying to escape the brutal oppression of post-Prussian War Europe could be free to make sauerkraut and smoked pork products, unmolested by the authorities.

But Roebling recovered from his injuries, his factory continued to produce wire rope, and he designed and built a number of suspension bridges using his own product right up until he began design work for the Brooklyn Bridge. Unfortunately, Roebling managed to get his foot crushed by a ferry while standing on a dock trying to work out where the bridge should go. He died of tetanus 24 days later, but his son Washington went on to complete the Brooklyn Bridge project, while his son Charles would invent an 80 tonne wire rope machine.

By 1886, the year the Brooklyn Bridge was opened, a venture like setting up a wire rope factory in Pennsylvania was not at all a bad way to invest $100,000 (probably about $US3 million today), and that is precisely what three businessmen from Williamsport did.

Morrison Patent was changed to the Williamsport Wire Rope Company in 1888, manufacturing steel and galvanised wire rope “from one-eighth of an inch to two and one-half inches in diameter, and any length up to two miles in one continuous piece”, according to an 1892 history of Lycoming County.

The lumber boom in Lycoming peaked in 1891, and the neighbouring Indiana County saw a coal-mining boom start in 1900, so the industrial economy was perfect for the growth of the Williamsport rope mill. A new wire mill was built in 1916, and the current rope mill was built in 1928, which was pretty poor timing considering the Great Depression would start the next year.

By 2004, the Williamsport site had been bought and sold a number of times, changing company names like a serial divorcee, acquiring assets from other defunct companies such as Roebling Wire Rope (the company started by John Roebling in 1849) but always keeping the Bethlehem Wire Rope brand, which became synonymous with top quality steel cable, and is still proudly emblazoned on their rope spools to this day.

In 2002 Williamsport Wirerope Works bought out the bankrupt Paulsen Wire Rope, a rope mill located in nearby Sunbury, and continued to produce under the Paulsen name. But by 2003 the company was also in financial strife, and the management were looking for another buyer who could bail out the company and keep the 600,000 square foot Bethlehem factory running.

The US wire rope manufacturing industry had changed dramatically over the course of 100 years. From an exciting new industry that would allow explosive growth in the productivity of coal mining through the development of dragline surface mining operations in the early 20th century, as well as enabling some of the biggest civil engineering projects ever seen since the Pyramids of Giza, the US stable of 27 wire rope companies had been consolidated down to just three names: Bridon, WireCo, and Bethlehem.

Bridon is another Pennsylvania company, based 100 kilometres away in Wilkes-Barre. Unlike Williamsport which remained a local manufacturer, Bridon expanded rapidly, acquiring other wire rope companies and branching out across the world, developing into a massive, multinational conglomerate, as did WireCo Worldgroup.

With two global entities for domestic competition, Bethlehem also faced increasing pressure from low-cost offshore wire rope producers in countries like China, Korea and India.

Present executive vice-president Lamar J Richards remembers circumstances were looking grim for the Bethlehem brand and for the local employees, with a bid for takeover by Pennsylvania, USA and world market rival WireCo Worldgroup in late 2003.

“Instructions from the ownership at the time were, because we were about to be bought by a competitor we really weren’t going to be making wire, so we had to get rid of all the raw material, the rod, our starting point for the wire,” he said.

“So in that environment, there was an effort by local people to see if they could put together a coalition to buy the company and keep the manufacturing here in Williamsport. The concern was that with a competitor buying we would ultimately be folded up and moved.”

And it was in this environment that local businessman Tom Saltsgiver, owner of a successful modular housing manufacturing plant, started to consider the prospect of buying an ailing historic business of significant value to the local economy, and decided to accept an invitation to take a tour of the Bethlehem plant.

But I didn’t know any of those things when I found myself standing, probably in the same spot as Mr Saltsgiver did when starting his tour, right there in the foyer of the single largest wire rope manufacturing facility in North America on a muggy Thursday morning. I had arrived at the factory with a junket of assorted journalists, exhausted from touring a gamut of other factories and fighting off a particularly vicious head cold, quite oblivious to the fact that our tour bus had, having dropped us off, already left with my camera bag still on board. Perhaps one could have forgiven me for being a little out of sorts at first. But not for long…

Walking into the front offices of Wirerope Works on Maynard Street, it’s clear there’s pride in the product here. Foot-long samples of rope in varying configurations and gauges lie on polished timber plinths in the foyer, cleaned of oil with sharp edges ground smooth for safe handling by visitors.

On the walls hang photographs of major construction projects which were supplied with Bethlehem brand wire rope: Madison Square Gardens, the restringing of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Niagara Falls tightrope.

Lamar J. Richards, the executive vice president of Wirerope Works, explains to us some of the history of the plant (see Australian Mining February 2016), but one of the most touching stories he tells us is about how the present owner, Tom Saltsgiver, came to buy the company and keep it alive for the sake of the local economy in Williamsport.

The owner of a successful modular housing manufacturing plant, Saltsgiver picked up the Bethlehem while it was in some very dire straits, and did so against the better advice of friends, family and colleagues, according to Richards.

“There was an effort by local people to see if they could put together a coalition to buy the company and keep the manufacturing here in Williamsport,” Richards said.

“And my family, they said, ‘We don’t know anything about the steel business, don’t do it, we know modular homes we’ve made a good living doing that, don’t throw your money away here’.”

As it turned out, the newly renamed Wirerope Works became profitable after 18 months of capital support. Shortly after that, the housing bubble burst.

After this brief history lesson we are handed hardhats and earplugs and instructed that it will be very difficult to hear anything inside the factory. They weren’t wrong. Although the tour from that stage onward was sparse on information, I found myself going from a sense of bewilderment at the extreme conditions of the workplace to being strangely entranced with the manufacturing process.

One of the first things shown to us is the floor. The factory is tiled with timber bricks, grain pointing upward and creating a very unique effect where the timber had been polished by decades of wear. The timber floors are a result of Williamsport’s logging history, when wooden blocks were cheap and readily available in bulk. To this day when any flooring needs repairs or replacement, Wirerope Works still uses the original material. To walk on it is remarkably different from concrete, and where I can compare the two it is noticeably easier underfoot. Bear in mind the factory is 620,000 square feet, so a lot of what essentially was scrap lumber had been put to good use.

First we are shown the raw material: 4mm steel wire in loose looking coils about 6 foot across, lifted by forklifts and taken through to a hydrochloric acid bath which will strip off any contaminants. Having been battling a common cold for a few days, I didn’t need to be told the fizzing pool before me was acid. Plumes of vapour were pouring off the bath, and before I could think of doing anything about it the congestion in my head loosened and poured down the back of my throat, and I suddenly I could breathe more clearly and easily than I had done for days! I realised it was the corrosive vapour that had cleared my head, and it might soon start to work on the tissues of my sinus. I tried to hold my breath while our host laughed and tried to explain, incoherently over the roar of the factory, the process of treating the raw material.

We all back away from the deadly head-cold cure and are led to the furnace, where 12 of the washed coils are set up to feed wire through an oven blazing at 1000 degrees Celcius, only 360 degrees shy of melting point. I realise wearing my jacket, despite the cool Pennsylvania humidity, was not the smartest thing in the world to do and we walk past the contained inferno, pouring with sweat.

It’s becoming amply clear to me that this is an extremely dangerous workplace, and we continue to the other side of the furnace where the cherry glowing wires are fed down into a simmering oil bath for quenching.

We file past, only a couple of feet from the long vat of hellbroth with no rails or guards and I think to myself, ‘this must be the single most dangerous thing I have ever stood near’. Having been a labourer and rigger for most of my adult life, I have certainly worked in some unsafe conditions, from high rise buildings with no fall arrest equipment to a uranium mine with no proper PPE, but even those experiences didn’t seem to come close to standing next to this long vat of near-boiling oil. What would happen if one of us stumbled, reaching out for grip and finding only oil that could burn off a limb in seconds, or worse, what if one could fall in altogether! I reassured myself a victim of clumsiness would pass out almost instantly from the shock of the burn. Small comfort as we tried to stay as far away from the vat as possible, with a few feet of leeway for space.

Once cool enough, the wire passes through hydrochloric acid to wash off all traces of contaminant, and I hold my breath as we walk the length of the pool, our host taking deep breaths as if it were fresh spring air and not lung melting fumes, laughing as he watches the visitors squirm… Does he know something I don’t? I sure hope so.

A coating of zinc phosphate, another rinse, and another final coating prepares the wire for extrusion, which has two key functions. The most obvious is for achieving the correct gauge of wire required for twisting into the various rope products, but extrusion also means the steel wire is stretched to align the structure of the steel to align in a single direction, which strengthens and increases the breaking strain of each wire.

However, the most important part of all of this is the stranding process, and here is where my reactions turn from shock to awe. As a rigger using steel wire rope on a daily basis for slinging, I had often wondered how the rope was produced, and here it was before my eyes: The factory floor – acres of it – was full of lines of planetary stranders, all with sets of wires in large bobbins, as many as 64 wires on a single machine, feeding into a single, oily strand of rope. The factory had machines of all sizes hard at work, furiously spinning to produce the some 1200 different combinations of wire rope that come out of the factory every three months.

The machines are clearly dangerous, spinning at a rate of knots. Later that evening I met a local teacher in a bar who tells me about a worker he knew of who was dragged into a strander and ripped to pieces. I didn’t need to be told this was possible, it was obvious. But my sense for this hazardous workplace was quickly being replaced with a gripping fascination for the process.

Finally, we come to the heart of the factory: We stand, astonished, gazing up at the 12 foot tall, 800 tonne closing machine, designed to produce the 7 inch rope for dragline boom pendants, and construction cable like that used to build the Brooklyn Bridge. The already huge strands are all dragged into a central point, slowly weaving the helical pattern of wires around a hefty centre rope into a single massive cable which will one day end up on a dragline somewhere in the world.

The whole process is mesmerising, and it occurs to me that this place is like a Disneyland or Mecca for riggers. It’s a real privilege to see how this is product made, the effort that goes into ensuring the finest quality product is produced for a discerning market that eschews the cheaper overseas manufacturers.

With a history spanning 120 years, the Wirerope Works factory has seen plenty of hard times, but it’s also had a lot of luck. With good leadership at the helm from the likes of Saltsgiver and Richards, and ongoing demand for steel wire rope, the old Williamsport factory could continue to produce its quality bespoke products for another 120 years.

Regarding the stainless steel wire rope, the material is AISI304, AISI316, AISI316L etc, and the standard is DIN, BS and EN etc. For the construction:We can produce 1*7 & 1*19, which mainly be used in chemical, engineering, aviation, machine, instrument.

For extreme environments exposed to moisture, salt water or corrosive or corrosive chemicals, non-magnectic stainless steel wire ropes are preferred. For mosr applications, galvanized coatings will provide some form of corrosion resistance and still provide the strength and flexibility characteristics desired by the end user.

It is the most cost effective solution. For construction sites, this stainless steel wire rope can be used as a perimeter cable or as a barrier or lashing cable for high-altitude employees. For applicationthat may be used in the field for weeks or months, they can be safely disposed of after the project is completed.

You may know that due to the environmental protection, our Chinese government has ordered the closure of many steel wire rope factory, becauce those factories are without land owership, building ownership and pollution control license. Fortunately, our company has our own factory, the land and buildings are all belong to ourselves, so our factory will not been closed. And in the meanwhile, we have built a new drawing factory in early of this year, so our factory is running normal. so please don"t worry about the delivery time.

Shandong Xingying Environmental Energy Technology Co. LTD is one of the largest manufacturers of steel wire ropes in China. Since establishment in 1993, Xingying has plenty of experience over 20 years and has laid the world"s foundation. Xingying runs company adhering to the principle: quality first, customer highest and service are first-rate.

We have the most complete facility and skilled workers; meanwhile, we select the best material for manufacturing of steel wire ropes. What we have done is to ensure our products will meet even exceed the requirement of our customers. Most of all, our price is reasonable so that can reduce the budget of our customers efficiently.

Beside above products, steel wire ropes can be manufactured upon your request. Do not forget to enclose the design of your ropes for custom order when emailing.

Taking advantages of over 20 years" experience, we knows what types of ropes our customer want most of all. So it is our goal to build wire ropes as good as it can built to suit your project, whether in mining, elevator, crane, gas or oil drilling industries. For Xingying, our vision is to see that the user gets the satisfaction he has a right to expect.

If you have question, drop us an email and our staff will be more than happy to respond to your inquiry. Our email address is sales@goldoxwiremesh.com.

The story of Fasten Group starts in 1964 as we were a small company that specialized in the production of hemp ropes used for boats and ships. For six years we continued to grow steadily until we expanded our production capabilities in the 1970"s to include the manufacturing of steel wire and other wire rope products. Today, we have a diverse catalog of products that include all kinds of steel wires, wire ropes, optical communication products, mechanical equipment, and artificial marble.

1. Our state-level enterprise technology center and metal testing center allow Fasten to be at the forefront of many national key science and technology support programs. We also undertake the secretariats of Steel Wire Ropes subcommittee of Steel Technology Committee in SAC(SAC/TC 183/SC 12) as well as Steel Wire Ropes Technology Committee in International Organization for Standardization(ISO/TC 105). We also operate the only National Metal Wire Product Engineering Technology Research Center in China.

2. Fasten"s current production bases cover manufacturing for conveyor belt steel cord, bridge cable, PC strand, stainless steel products, fine cable, tire cord (joint venture), and fiber optics among others.

3. In 2013, Fasten"s conveyor belt steel cord was awarded a certificate of exemption from the customs examination by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People"s Republic of China. This expedites our production and shipping policies.

4. In 2016, we became one of China"s national model enterprises as a wire and cable manufacturer. We were also the recipient of the award at the fourth China Grand Awards for Industry.

Our conveyor belt steel cord base is a highly advanced facility that covers more than 100,000 square meters. The products manufactured in this base are divided across 10 series with more than 400 specifications. The products manufactured at this site include special steel cord for conveyor belt, gondola ropes used for high-rise building access platforms, galvanized aircraft cable and others . We also produce other special steel wire ropes with diameters smaller than 16mm. Through advanced production equipment, technical research capabilities, and a highly dedicated workforce, we are able to produce high quality products with incredible consistency. We implement SAP to integrate our management of business and production data. We organize our production operation in strict accordance with ISO9001 quality management system and ISO14001 environmental management requirements. In addition to the standard inspection operations for the mechanical and chemical properties of our products, we can perform vulcanization, aging, penetration, and a wide range of other tests.

This is our prestressed steel strand production facility. All of the production equipment is specially imported from Italy. The production base boasts an annual output of more than 200,000 tons of strand. Our leading products are steel strands for prestressed concrete structures. These are popular for use in the construction of roads, bridges, high rise buildings, and even water conservancy projects.

The stainless steel product factory produces 28,000 tons of stainless steel wire, 2000 tons of stainless steel cable, and 2000 tons of stainless steel bar each year. These stainless steel products are applied in a variety of applications including aviation, chemical processing, electronics production, automotive and many other industrial applications.

The Fasten fine steel cord production base features a total manufacturing capacity of 1,500 tons per year. The factory produces steel cord for PU timing belt with their ultra-fine diameter, low stress, and low elongation rate. Our Steel Cord greatly increase the useful life of timing belt. All of the production operations that occur in this factory are done in accordance with ISO9001, IATF16949 standards.

The GP and specialty wire rope facility is where we manufacture wire rope for high-speed railway networks, elevator rope, wire rope for harbor machinery, etc. The factory holds certificates such as ISO9001, API SEPCQ1 and JIS Q1001. We have created an maintained strategic partnerships with Shanghai Mitsubishi Elevator, the Port of Shanghai, Xugong Group, Sany Heavy Industry and many others in order to work together to create better products for everyone.

The Fasten tire cord and sawing wire base was established as a joint venture between Fasten Group and Bekaert Group which is headquartered in Belgium. This facility is used to produce tire cord, bead wire, sawing wire, spring wire and hose wire.

Our commercial wire production base is engaged in the manufacturing of high grade steel wire products. The size range of these wires cover 0.5-12mm and our annual output has surpassed 200,000 tons. The products come in eight series including spring wire, music wire, baling wire, cable wire and more.

Shandong Xingying Environmental Energy Technology Co. LTD is a professional company specializing in the production of wire ropes. The company is located in Hebei Anping which is close to a big northern Chinese port - Tianjin Port. So it enjoys the strategic location and convenient transportation.