Expanded metal remains an economical and cost-effective material
Durable, dependable, and incredibly versatile, Mentis Expanded Metal continues to be an economical and cost-effective material. The manufacturing process ensures optimum material integrity and strength and allows it to be used for a wide range of applications.
Ruben Roach, COO of Mentis Africa, one of the country’s foremost engineering and manufacturing companies based in Elandsfontein, explains that the material is made by slitting and expanding a solid sheet of metal into a web of diamonds.
“The metal sheet can, in fact, be expanded up to ten times its original size, losing no material in the process and resulting in a remarkably light mesh,” he says. “And expanded metal offers flexibility because it is available in a variety of sizes and materials.”
One of the most important features of expanded metal is its inherent structural integrity and strength. Roach says this, facilitated by the network of rigid strands, also permits light and air to pass freely through it. The final product is also lighter per metre and stronger per kg than its original sheet.
High quality local mild steel is used in the manufacturing process, but any other ductile metal such as aluminium and stainless steels are also suitable. The finished product can be painted, stove-enamelled, plated, and galvanised. The company produces expanded metal with a raised mesh, known as Mentex, and with a flattened surface, known as Flatex. Roach says that the most appropriate type of expanded metal differs for each intended application for which the material will be used. Expanded metal even provides opportunities for innovative architectural designs.
The range of mesh sizes and thicknesses of both Mentex and Flatex is extensive and the expanded metal can be bent, shaped to radii, angled, or notched. Customers can select a broad spectrum of mesh sizes, from the smallest mini-meshes with openings of 2 mm by 4 mm and a thickness of 0,4 millimetres to the larger versions with openings of 75 mm by 200 mm and a thickness of 6 mm.
Comments
The
content
you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.
If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.
If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.
For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation