Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Marlin Wire Baskets

September 1, 2016 | Custom Wire Baskets, Wire Forms, Robotic Manufacturing, Welding

Animated image of Marlin basket 105-31-01Everyone here at Marlin Steel takes enormous pride in the speed and quality at which they can produce custom steel wire baskets for a number of different applications.

“Quality, Engineered Quick®” is a hallmark of Marlin Steel’s wire basket manufacturing, but how does Marlin ensure top quality and efficiency when making baskets?

To answer this, here are a few things that you should know about Marlin Wire Baskets:

1: Marlin Steel Specializes in Stainless Steel Baskets

Most steel manufacturers focus on plain steel, and work on stainless steel projects as a secondary business. Here at Marlin Steel, the opposite is true.

The majority of Marlin’s work is done with stainless steel—about 80% of all our orders are for stainless steel wire. This focus on stainless gives Marlin’s production engineers and designers a high degree of insight into the challenges of manufacturing with stainless steel.

Less focused manufacturers might miss details that would cause their plain steel products to contaminate the stainless steel material. This would cause the stainless steel’s protective oxide layer to be compromised, allowing rust to form.

2: Every Marlin Basket Design is Tested Using Physics Simulation Software Prior to Tooling & Assembly

Computer modeling software allows Marlin to rapidly test new designs without tooling for a prototype first.Prototyping a new basket design for a new application is slow and expensive. Physical prototyping can add extensive delays and generate heavy costs as the production line has to be re-tooled for each new physical prototype.

This is why Marlin Steel uses advanced physics simulation software such as Autodesk to run virtual simulations of the effects of any given production process and environment on each and every wire basket design. The use of virtual simulations allows Marlin to reliably test the effects of years of use on a basket design in mere minutes.

If the design would fail for any reason, the software generates a report of the failure and the cause. With this info, Marlin’s design engineers tweak the design to make up for the weakness and try again.

3: Every Basket is Assembled Using Automated Manufacturing Tools

While human minds create the blueprint and choose the materials, the bulk of the actual manufacturing labor on the Marlin factory floor is handled by a variety of manufacturing robots.

Unlike human workers, robots don’t get tired, bored, or sick. The inhuman strength and precision of a manufacturing robot allows it to stick to incredibly precise and consistent tolerances that human laborers can’t hope to match.

These robots have helped to not only deliver “Quality, Engineered Quick®,” they have massively improved safety by letting human workers move back from dangerous tasks and take on safer, more cerebral work.

4: Marlin Wire Baskets Are Designed to Last for Years of Use

Automated welding machines and other robotic assembly tools contribute to consistent strength and quality for Marlin's wire baskets.By using durable materials such as grade 304 stainless steel, testing every design exhaustively with physics simulation software, and employing precise automated manufacturing tools, Marlin’s wire baskets are made to last through years of use.

To further ensure longevity, every basket design is custom-tailored to the needs of the production process for which they were made. For example, the specific alloy of steel used might be changed to better resist specific corrosive substances, or a coating of polymer may be added if temperatures aren’t too extreme.

Maximizing the useful life of a steel wire basket helps to keep replacement costs down and ensures that the baskets will be available for use for years to come.

5: Marlin Wire Baskets Can Meet Incredibly Tight Tolerances

In some industries, a difference of a tenth of an inch can have a huge impact on performance. The trouble with hand-made steel baskets is that they can often barely meet performance tolerances measured in inches, let alone ones measured in millimeters.

Marlin’s use of automated manufacturing equipment helps ensure that every bend, every weld, and every cut in every last piece of wire meets consistent standards.

By eliminating human error, Marlin can meet incredibly tight tolerances consistently, reducing manufacturing scrap and ensuring faster time to delivery for steel wire baskets.

It all boils down to this:

With a Marlin wire basket, you can have fast delivery of high-quality, long-lasting baskets that will meet very tough tolerances.

Learn more about steel wire baskets or get started with your own custom order today!

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