How do I decide what product(s) I need?

            You must consider a variety of issues to determine the best solution for your application. What experience do you have with wire straightening (or cable, strip, flatwire, and tube straightening) and what do your operators have success with? You should consider the properties of your material and the needed straightness, as well as your application details. Witels Albert can assist with information and personal discussions to help you make the best choice.        back to top

Do you make 2 or even 3 plane wire straighteners?

            Witels Albert manufactures straighteners that can be used as single plane straighteners, double plane straighteners, and straighteners with more planes. Multi-plane straighteners are available for wire straightening, tube straightening, cable straightening and strip or flatwire straightening. We also work with customers on a case by case basis to supply brackets, or base plates, that would connect and align straighteners for proper alignment with the incoming curvature.       back to top

What is the purpose of a wire guide?

            A wire guide or roller guide is used in a variety of applications to ensure that materials enter down stream components in a desired alignment. Maintaining a quality “material zero line” for wire, tube, and other materials is important to the straightening process.       back to top

What is a feeding system?

            Feeding systems, also referred to as drive units or drive systems, are devices that are used to transport materials such as wire, cable, strip, flatwire and tubing. Witels Albert manufactures both pinch roll and caterpillar types of wire feeding systems, tube feeding systems, cable feeding systems, and strip or flatwire feeding systems. With the help of our engineering staff, the system type and size is determined by customer application requirements. We also supply motors, controls and various levels of integration to suit customer needs.        back to top

  What is a wire straightening system?

            A wire straightening system is a reference to a quantity of components used in a straightening process. It could be a single plane straightener, a double plane straightener, and or another multi-plane straightener. It could also include a wire guide, a wire feeder, and other processing components that may be needed to achieve a desired material straightness. Tube straightening systems, cable straightening systems, and strip or flatwire straightening systems are also available.        back to top

  I can’t keep my wire straight…what am I doing wrong?

            There are many issues to consider with straightening quality. Is your straightener properly sized for the wire or tube you are working? Is it aligned correctly? Do you need a straightener with more rolls? How about the adjustment and positioning?  What are your upstream processes and what effect do they have on straightness? Witels Albert can provide many resources to help improve your straightening quality. Please feel free to contact us for further information and/or to request a copy of our book “We Do It Straight”. This book is as complete a resource on straightening available anywhere.  We also have a new simulation program SimDATA 1.0 that calculates the precise roller positioning to obtain straight wire.        back to top

  Do the processes before the wire straightening process affect how straight my wire will be?

            Yes, absolutely. Whenever you can avoid adding more stress to the wire you buy, please do. Any additional wire bending, even if it is two inches up or down, adds stress. In the real world, we know that adding stress is sometimes unavoidable. In this case, straightening the wire immediately after stress has been added (i.e. after each bend) to remove the stress will give you straighter wire, tube, cable, flatwire or strip at the end of the total straightening process. In other words, respecting the “zero line” allows you to produce better quality wire.       back to top

  What is a “zero line”?

            It’s all about alignment – of your processing line equipment, including the wire straightener (or tube straightener, cable straightener, flatwire straightener or strip straightener).  Making sure that the wire, tube or other material; and all components that touch that material; from beginning to end; are straight, level and parallel. That’s a relaxed description. The formal description follows:       back to top

            Zero line of the processing system means that the material to be straightened runs through the processing system without undergoing any additional bending, deflecting, or guiding. Therefore, It is an advantage for wide spools to be axially adjustable in order to always obtain the required zero line. The zero line of the processing system includes the zero line of the straightener.

            Zero line of the straightener describes the situation when all the straightening rolls touch the material to be straightened but do not bend it. This setting is usually made with a caliber, hence the term “calibration”. The zero line of the straightener depends on the geometry of the material to be straightened and of the straightening roll groove.       back to top

  Does the type or grade of wire or tube I’m using affect the straightening process?

            The wire or tube you work with has a large impact on how the material is straightened and the straightening results. Higher tensile materials are more difficult to work. For higher tensile materials, we suggest straighteners with more than the standard roll quantity be used for optimal results.       back to top

  Do you have suggestions for wire straightener and straightener roll maintenance?

            Avoiding dirt, particularly from metal particles, and proper roll fit have a significant influence on the life of straightening rolls. Under highly clean conditions your Witels Albertstraightening rolls can achieve much longer life, up to 30 times the norm. Improved Witels straightening systems such as the WICAS cartridge system are designed specifically to prevent contamination from dirt and metal particles.        back to top

 When fitting straightening rolls, always ensure that pressure is applied correctly so that bearing balls and races are not damaged. Always “seat” the inner-ring of the bearing by applying pressure evenly over its front facing surface. A press or similar tool should be used for this purpose        back to top

 I’d like to learn more about wire straightening…Do you have information that will help me?

            Witels has the most comprehensive resources available for assisting customers with the straightening process including the “We Do It Straight” book, various technical papers about straightening, and our proprietary SimDATA simulation program. In addition, technical sales engineers are always available through Witels Albert USA. And, if further assistance is needed, the Witels Albert engineering department in Germany is available.       back to top

  How could your computer simulation software help me?

            The Witels Albert proprietary simulation program, SimDATA, is another example of the many resources available to assist customers with straightening processes. The SimDATA program allows operators to input the parameters of the material being worked and the particular wire straightener model and size being used into a computer. The program then calculates straightener roller positions that yield straight wire, with very little additional roller adjustment needed. SimDATA also allows you to save these settings for future use.        back to top

  Are items stock or custom-made?

            Many items are stocked or assembled to order. We also perform customer desired modifications to better suit unique application requirements.       back to top

  When can I expect to receive my order?

            Many items are shipped from stock, and with expedited delivery, can be received in one or two days. Other items are normally shipped in one to three weeks depending on the item and if there is any customization required.       back to top

  Are shipping charges included in the price?

            All our products are sold FOB Baltimore or Branford CT. The only exceptions are very large items and some machines. These may incur additional costs for crating and shipping.       back to top