Expanded metal is a form of metal stock made by shearing a metal plate in a press, so that the metal stretches, leaving diamond-shaped voids surrounded by interlinked bars of the metal. The most common method of manufacture is to simultaneously slit and stretch the material with one motion. It is often shortened to exmet. "Exmet", however, is a registered trademark in the US for expanded metal produced by Expanded Metal Company, Ltd. Expanded metal is also referred to as perforated metal. It is a large part of the metal industry and plays a key role in metal fabrication.
Expanded metal is used in grates and in outdoor furniture (e.g. benches) or fencing. It is often used for guarding to prevent contact with hot surfaces or machinery.
Expanded metal is often used for architectural details and finds use in security applications such as in the walls of a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility because, in heavier grades, it is difficult to breach without heavy cutting equipment or explosives.
Famous quotes containing the words expanded and/or metal:
“The very nursery tales of this generation were the nursery tales of primeval races. They migrate from east to west, and again from west to east; now expanded into the “tale divine” of bards, now shrunk into a popular rhyme.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“There is a lot of talk now about metal detectors and gun control. Both are good things. But they are no more a solution than forks and spoons are a solution to world hunger.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1953)