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Flat vs. Round Wire Forms

Flat vs. Round Wire Forms

To you, the wire forms on your compressor are simply components that benefit the system’s operational efficiency. They certainly do not look like much, which may lead you to incorrectly believe that not much goes into their manufacture and design. Yet on the contrary, a number of different factors are considered to help determine how well a form will hold up under rigors of daily use. A simple failure in any wire form can lead to total equipment loss and downtime. Thus, it is vital that the correct form technology goes into the development of your compressor components.

Is Flat Better?

When it comes down to the development of wire forms, one of the most important factors to consider is whether to incorporate round or flat wire technology. The answer, of course, lies in the nature of the application in which the form will be used, yet for many scenarios, flat offers a number of advantages over round. These include:

• More tensile energy: Flat wire are able to absorb and store more energy in smaller spaces, making them ideal for environments where space may be restricted.
• Increased reliability: Applications that require the repeated and rapid opening and closing of components are better suited for flat wires, which tend to fail less frequently.
• Greater durability: The reason behind flat wire reliability is due to the fact that as the wire absorbs energy, it has a greater surface are over which to distribute it than a round wire. This leads to decreased external stress at a particular point, which makes the overall form more durable.

While understanding the difference between flat and round wire technology may not be something that keeps you up at night, the performance of your compressor certainly can. Therefore, you should seriously consider taking the time needed to familiarize yourself with the many different components of your system, even down to something as simple as the wire forms used in its operation. This will help you to pinpoint problems when they arise, convey the specific details of the failure to your parts manufacturer, and select the right replacement product to get your system up-and-running. Given the impact that this can have in lowering your down time, the little bit of added research is certainly worth it.

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