Wire

1) A long, slender piece of metal that is produced by being drawn (pulled) through a die or cold-rolled, the latter a procedure that is far less used but gaining in popularity. The drawn product can be made in various cross sectional shapes, but much of it is made in a circular shape. The material can be the full range of ferrous and nonferrous metals and alloys or, in somewhat less amounts, nonmetallic materials. Some wires are composites of two separate metals bonded together in a single profile. Wire can be prepared to exhibit varying degrees of ductility, toughness, hardness and electrical characteristics. It is usually manufactured in long lengths so it is furnished in coil or spool form. Usually if the finished product has a relatively large profile and cannot be wound in a coil, it is not considered wire but a bar. Flat or shaped wires are referred to as wire with roughly the same dimensional limit. However, if the flat material is not flexible enough to be wound in a coil, it is usually referred to as bar or strip. 2) A single strand or multiple strands of wire used as an electric conductor that can be bare or coated with different materials. Note: the term wire is used interchangeably with cable to define an insulated conductor. See essay on wire at beginning of this book.