Everything You Need To Know About Safety Wire & How To Install

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If you work in an industry that uses complex machinery, you know the importance of using high-quality safety wire for your business. From aerospace machinery to hardware wholesale, choosing the best lock wire for your industry will ensure your equipment functions properly.

Before you choose what safety wire to purchase, it’s crucial to understand what exactly safety wire is and how you can use it for your business.

Safety lock wire is an important safety feature used in many industries to guarantee mechanical stability. Pieces of equipment such as screws, nuts, bolts, and other fasteners slowly loosen over time during periods of high vibration. In these instances, you need a wire lock to prevent loosening and accidents as a result of mechanical failures.

Lock wire is also used for bigger systems such as braking mechanisms, throttle systems, and flight controls. No matter the size of the system, lock wire is designed to prevent major issues and keep employees and operators safe.

So, the lock wire is meant to stabilize mechanical systems, but how does it work? For example, if you wanted to secure lock nuts and bolts, the lock wire is threaded between two or more fasteners for maximum security.

If you’re ready to twist (but not shout), you can choose from two different methods: the double twist or single-wire.

The most common method for locking a wire lock in place is to twist two pieces of wire together for a double twist configuration. With this method, you’ll need to pay close attention to exact measurements. Specifically, the diameter of the wire will depend on the type of fastener you’re using and the part’s hole diameters.

The single-wire method is more appropriate when you have closely spaced fasteners such as electrical systems. You also need to consider the length of the wire because this affects the number of fasteners that can be secured with a single wire lock. Ideally, you want to have 24 inches of wire available.

After you’ve decided which installation method is best for your application, you’ll need to check how much tension is being placed on the safety wire. Safety lock wires shouldn’t be used with mechanics that apply extra tension or fatigue, as the safety wire should only be under tension from preventing loosening of any nuts and bolts.

If you need to use safety wire between different forms of equipment, consider the best ways to organize the types of wires you use and where. One way to keep up with the organization of wires is to consider buying color-coded containers. This way, you are able to immediately recognize which wire you’re selecting and where it came from.

You also need to choose the proper materials for the job because certain metals may not work with your equipment. It’s important to select metals based on each alloy’s properties and your project’s environmental conditions. Consider a business that offers several options like stainless steel, aluminum Inconel, Monel, copper, and brass.

Now that you’ve read through the key components of safety wire, you’re ready to find a business that can create the wire products you need. You should have a clear understanding of what equipment you’ll be adding the lock wire to and all of its measurements. Once you’ve purchased enough lock wire, review all of the installation instructions and you’ll be doing the twist in no time.