The pros and cons of oiled iron wire

Thanks to the experience it has gained over the years, Bottaro is able to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of using oiled iron wire.

For the engineers of leading companies

Customers often ask Bottaro whether or not it is advisable to use this particular type of iron wire. For this reason, Bottaro has decided to offer all the readers of this blog a few considerations on this important issue. We therefore decided to give a voice to the most well-known and well-established leading Italian and foreign companies in the industry. They all accepted our invitation to participate in the discussion. Below is a summary of what emerged.

How many companies use oiled iron wire?

Out of the over 6000 tonnes of iron wire sold every month, less than 35% of companies order oiled iron wire, and Switzerland, Germany and Austria are the areas where oiled iron wire is most in demand. This low percentage is given to the fact that production machinery operates just as well in the absence of lubrication. Moreover, companies who are accustomed to using oil, may choose to install tanks near the first pulleys to avoid storing oiled materials in their warehouses. In fact, this method has been used by many recycling companies for years, thereby maintaining a clean work area. We’d like you to think about the fact that the oil used for lifting trolleys and machinery contributes greatly to disposal costs and can be transformed into a resource for lubricating iron wire.

Why is lubrication dispensable?

Many baling machine manufacturers do not recommend the use of oil because they believe it is the cause of the binding knot coming loose. Oiled iron wire must therefore be tied more than once, resulting in a waste of material. This is why only a small amount of lubrication is sufficient for most needs, at the same time preserving the mechanical components during the winding process and making it possible to tie a perfect knot. There are even manufacturers which claim that oil serves no purpose at all, considering that the components they produce, made of hard metals like cemented carbide, can be used for over ten years without showing signs of wear. The cemented carbide and tempered steels used by almost all manufacturers today, has significantly lowered demand for oiled iron wire. This is a factor that we always take into consideration at the time of an order, and we have noticed that much fewer customers are choosing oiled iron wire due to more attention being paid to machinery performance.

© Copyright Bottaro Mario S.r.l. – All rights reserved

© Copyright Bottaro Mario S.r.l. - All rights reserved