Microgrid® – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Increases or decreases in the base metal thickness and/or strand width are two of the most frequently used methods of accomplishing this goal… especially when the appropriate metal and mesh size have already been identified. Please let us know if the weight is important in the final application and we will work with you to define the other variables.
Let’s say for instance, you would like to increase the amount of surface area. An increase in the strand width will increase the surface area. Choosing a smaller mesh size or LWD will make a more significant change as well.
The first variable that we would change is the strand width. A decrease in the strand from 10 mils down to 7 mils will increase the open area approximately 10%, assuming the SWD stays constant.
MicroGrid®, and PolyGrid® are OEM products, engineered, configured and custom manufactured to stringent specifications developed in unison with our customers. But, once we have determined the product code, all we need is the desired width and quantity. The quantity is always determined by length of the material required as opposed to weight.
An increase in the base metal thickness and/or strand width will result in an increase in the conductivity in both directions. Altering the SWD or LWD can make more subtle changes. In general, the conductivity will be greater across the width than in the roll direction by about 2 to 1.
There are three methods that can be used to ensure that an aircraft is properly protected from lightning strike damage: capacitor filtering, diode suppression and shielding. If proper precautions are taken, lightning strike damage can be greatly diminished or completely avoided.
You may need a “Distex Brick”” product. The controlled stretch will decrease the LWD and increase the SWD. This change in the geometry of the diamond will result in the desired characteristics.
Dexmet offers a process variation of corrugating their precision expanded materials. This process variation was developed for high-performance applications that require the expanded material to be much thicker or larger, that require more surface area and better cross-directional flow.
For applications requiring high temperatures to filter caustic gases or fluids, such as the semiconductor, chemical processing, and petroleum/gas industries, the filtration media typically being utilized is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy (PFA), and ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene (ECTFE). Dexmet also offers PEEK which provides a superior combination of mechanical strength, chemical and high temperature resistance.
Through in-house testing we have found that levels of tarnish appear to have little or no effect on surface resistance.