Stitching Wire has evolved as the industry has changed. Stitching wire is now a highly tuned part of the printing world. Quality of Finish, Size, Cast, Camber, Tensile, Path of Wire, Spool Sizes, and De-spooling Equipment are all major factors in how stitching wire is going to perform in the field. With the continued demand for increased run speeds and overall profit, high quality stitching wire and proper machine setup are a must.
In stitching wire, consistency matters most. Our premium bookbinding wire promises size, tensile, cast and finish that you can depend on- spool after spool. We can provide all your stitching wire needs, wire is available in round wire or flat wire, galvanized, tin and copper finishes or nylon coating.
Use with box stitching machine to provide extra-strong sides and seams on corrugated cartons.
Recommended for packaging furniture, mattresses and machine parts.
Wire Tensile is the pull required to break the wire and is measured in pounds per square inch (PSI). The higher the breaking point, the stiffer the wire. High quality stitching wire has a tensile range of 135,000 to 165,000 PSI. A tensile above 165,000 PSI will wear out parts in your stitching head prematurely, causing maintenance costs and down time. High tensile wire can also wear out the knives in a trimmer section prematurely. The increased hardness of the stitching wire will nick a trimmer section’s knives more severely when struck during saddle stitcher jams. A tensile below 135,000 PSI will cause the stitching wire to be soft and not properly form a stitch.
High tensile stitching wires are available in the industry, but the cost benefits of using a high tensile wire with a thinner diameter on thicker applications is outweighed by the cost of premature wear on stitching heads and trimmer section knives.
Path of Wire:
A clean path for the stitching wire from the spool to the stitching head is critical in getting a positive stitching outcome. The stitching wire coatings can be easily chipped, scraped, and damaged by running the wire past an unprotected steel bracket, worn wire guides, spring tubes, and dirty felt pads. These areas must be checked frequently and rotated or replaced on a regular schedule. Wire guide springs and felt pads are a normal wear part on any stitching head. Flat spots on guides and springs along with a dirty felt pad wiping system can cause flaking issues that will jam your stitching head, stop production, and cause additional maintenance and repair costs.
Choose the right wire for the job.
25 gauge stitching wire’s recommended thickness of work is 1/16 to 7/32 of an inch
24 gauge stitching wire’s recommended thickness of work is 1/16 – ¼ of an inch
These are only suggestions as paper type, density, coatings, and stitcher set up can change the stitching wire size required.
Spool Sizes and De-Spooling Equipment:
Stitching wire comes on many different spools and generally range from 5 lbs to 1600 lbs in size. Primary usage and machine type determines the size spool you require, but running speeds and space availability also play a role. Stand alone stitchers that are hand fed usually use 5 or 10 lb spools. Collators with stitchers used for short runs of 5 to 10,000 books can also use this type of spool. Saddle stitching longer, mid-range runs will use 35, 40, 70, or 100 lb spools. High speed saddles stitchers, and web operations using in-line stitchers will use 200, 250, 1,000, and 1600 lb spools. A larger spool of wire has both economical and production advantages. Larger spools cost less per pound of stitching wire to manufacture. Larger spools require fewer spool changes during the manufacturing process.
Different size spools have different characteristics that can give the end user advantages. For instance, as stated earlier, a larger circle diameter improves the performance of stitching heads with less friction due to less straightening required and fewer dropped stitches. The larger diameter spools such as the 200, 250, 1,000 and 1600 lb spools have larger circle diameters improving stitcher head performance since less straightening is required.
Proper de-spooling equipment is essential to compliment the high quality wire you use. Matching the correct de-spooler with the spool is essential to problem free production.
Round Stitching Wire:
Wire Gauge
German Wire Gauge (mm)
m/kg
ASWG (mm)
m/kg
ft/LBS
BWG (mm)
m/kg
ft/LBS
21
0.8
253
0.81
247
368
0.81
247
368
22
0.75
288
0.73
304
452
0.71
322
479
23
0.65
331
0.65
384
571
0.63
409
609
24
0.6
451
0.58
482
717
0.56
517
769
25
0.55
536
0.52
600
893
0.51
624
929
26
0.5
649
0.46
767
1141
0.46
767
1141
27
0.45
801
0.44
838
1247
0.41
965
1436
28
0.4
1014
0.41
965
1436
0.36
1252
1863
29
0.37
1185
0.38
1123
1671
0.33
1489
2216
30
0.35
1324
0.36
1252
1863
0.3
1802
2682
Flat Stitching Wire:
Wire Diameter
Size in Inches
Sizes in Millimeters
Feet per pound
*Recommended Thickness of Work
18 x 20
.047 X .035
1.20 X 0.90
221
5/8" - 2"
19 x 21.5
.041 X .030
1.05 X 0.75
283
1/2" - 1"
19.5 x 21
.037 X .031
0.95 X 0.80
283
1/2" - 1"
20 x 24
.035 X .023
0.90 X 0.60
408
Up to 3/16"
20 x 25
.0.35 X .021
0.90 X 0.55
455
1/8" - 5/8"
21 x 25
.031 X .021
0.80 X 0.55
559
1/16" -1/2"
The feature of our high quality stitching wire:
Wire is clean and free of dirt and contamination
Consistent color and smooth surface
No flaking of protective coating
Wire flows freely off the spool without dropping off the spool.
