There are nearly 270 million cars and light trucks on the road today in the U.S., and each one of them uses automotive wire mesh in some capacity. Several critical components use metal mesh screens to filter vehicle fluids, reduce emissions, increase safety and enhance esthetic appeal. While not an exhaustive list, these are just a few ways steel wire mesh helps you get from here to there.
Table of Contents
Since airbags became mandatory in U.S. vehicles during the late 1990s they have saved thousands of lives. These supplemental safety systems are mostly known for their explosively deployed pillows of air during a collision but are composed of three main parts.
After the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enacted stricter regulation of exhaust emissions, catalytic converters were required starting with the 1975 model year. Since then, catalytic converters have reduced vehicle pollution and greenhouse gasses – with wire mesh at the very center of this important piece of automotive technology.
In catalytic converters, there are two different types of catalyst at work, a reduction catalyst and an oxidation catalyst. Both types consist of a ceramic structure coated with a metal catalyst, usually platinum, rhodium or palladium. A wire mesh substrate forms the core of a catalytic converter to provide a support structure and geometric surface area upon which the catalyst is applied. The idea is to create a structure that exposes the maximum surface area of catalyst to the exhaust stream while minimizing the amount of expensive catalyst required.
Wire mesh is also used in catalytic converters due to several inherent characteristics.
Screen wire mesh is used extensively as automotive filter and dampening material in several different ways.
It is clear that wire mesh plays a critical role in many vehicle systems.
Newark Wire, a recognized leader in the wire mesh industry, manufactures off-the-shelf and custom made woven wire mesh for any and every application – including cars and trucks. It has specialized in the fabrication of wire mesh for cars for years. Most wire cloth specifications can be supplied in any material, including titanium, inconel, silver, aluminum, and others. Contact us today to discuss your next automotive application.