The Secrets Behind Slitting and Shearing

Cutting wire mesh or cloth to a correct specification can be challenging. Wire mesh does not behave like sheet metal and can easily fray or move out of line if the mesh is not set up properly.

Cutting mesh or cloth is referred to as slitting, shearing, or both.

Slitting wire mesh is cutting it from a larger width roll to smaller specified widths. Shearing wire mesh is cutting across from the chute direction to ‘cut to size’ each piece.

There are a wide variety of different types of slitting equipment including razor and rotary machines, which allow the user to slit many different mesh alloys and mesh weaves and achieve precise specifications on a finer mesh. Most machines are capable of handling widths as small as ¼ inch and lengths up to 1,000 feet.  Slitting and shearing wire cloth to the correct specification requires experienced operators who know which type of machine to use to meet correct tolerances, how to set it to get maximum throughput, and how to orient the mesh to make the cut – ensuring the exact specifications every time, with minimal waste and set-up.