Drawing high-carbon wire: which die where

High-carbon wire — for prestressed concrete strand, springs, wire rope, bead wire and tyre cord — is drawn dry through a string of dies on a multi-block machine, with a drawing powder as lubricant. The wire is hard, the reductions are heavy and the speeds are high, so the dies work harder here than anywhere else in the wire trade. Which die material goes in which position is the main decision on this line.

Relink.Tools supplies nano-coated, PCD and tungsten carbide dies and the drawing powder to go with them, and matches the set to your machine and pass schedule.

What you get

• A die string proposed from your machine model, rod size, finished size and number of blocks.
• Die material by position — nano, PCD or carbide — rather than one material for the whole string.
• Self-supported PCD for the fine sizes, carbide-supported PCD where that is the better fit.
• Single-crystal and natural diamond dies supplied on request.

PC strand and PC wire

Heavy sizes drawn in few blocks from high-carbon rod. The breakdown and intermediate positions carry most of the load; nano-coated dies are our usual suggestion there, with carbide dies for trial sizes.

Spring wire

Medium to fine sizes with tight tolerance on diameter and surface. Nano-coated dies for the running positions; for fine spring wire, self-supported PCD in the last positions.

Rope wire and bead wire

Fine, hard wire drawn at speed. Fine high-carbon sizes are where self-supported PCD earns its cost: it holds size longer and can be recut. Below roughly 2 mm it is usually the more economical choice over nano.

1. Descaling

Mechanical descaling cracks the scale off the rod before the first die. Carbide descaling rolls last a long time on this stage.

Supplied as: carbide descaling rolls · Made to: descaler model · Ask for: rod diameter, descaler model. → Descaling rolls

2. Rod breakdown

The first blocks take the biggest reductions. Carbide dies are the traditional choice; nano-coated dies run longer between changes and keep the size steadier through the shift.

Supplied as: carbide and nano-coated dies · Made to: pass schedule or machine model · Ask for: rod diameter, size after breakdown, number of blocks. → Tungsten carbide dies · Nano-coated dies

3. Intermediate and finish drawing

Here the die material is chosen by position. Nano-coated dies for the sizes you run every day; PCD — self-supported for fine wire, carbide-supported for larger sizes — where the wire is fine and the run is long; carbide dies for short runs and trials. Shaped dies for flat and profile spring wire are made to drawing.

Supplied as: nano, PCD and carbide dies; shaped dies · Made to: machine model and pass schedule · Ask for: machine model, finished diameter and tolerance, speed if known. → Compare die materials · Shaped dies

4. Lubrication

Dry drawing powder matched to the wire grade, the die material and the speed.

Supplied as: dry drawing lubricant · Ask for: wire grade, sizes, dry or wet. → Wire drawing powder

What you need, the drawing machine model, and an email or WhatsApp number start the quote. Then, when you can:

• Die string: rod diameter, finished diameter and tolerance, number of blocks or your pass schedule, wire grade, speed.
• Single positions: the position in the string, size, material preference if any.
• PCD: finished size and whether you want self-supported or carbide-supported blanks.
• A photo of the die case or your existing die drawing.

Request a quote · Send us a message

See how we work →

Choose the material by position, not for the whole string. The breakdown blocks and the finishing blocks do different work. Nano-coated dies where the volume is, PCD where the wire is fine and the run is long, carbide where you are trialling a size or running a short lot — one string, three materials is normal.

Count the die cost per tonne, not per die. A nano die costs more than a carbide die and cannot be recut; it runs many times longer and holds size, so fewer stops and less off-size wire. A carbide die can be recut to the next size, which is why it still makes sense for short runs.

For fine high-carbon wire, ask about self-supported PCD. Bead wire, fine rope wire and fine spring wire are where PCD is at home: below about 2 mm it is usually the more economical option, and it can be recut several times.