The Complete History of Perforated Metal

13 Jan.,2025

 

The Complete History of Perforated Metal

Etymology

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Perforation is said to come from the Latin word perforatus, which is the past participle of perforare, meaning to &#;bore or pierce through&#;.  First used around the early 15h century, perforare is a construct of per (through) and forare (to pierce).  This makes sense.  Although you have to wonder what words were used prior to the 15th century as perforation was certainly a thing before the word.  

Perforation & Knights of the Realm

Cupules have perplexed scientists for generations.  The world&#;s most common rock art, practised as far back as years ago, are thought to be used for everything from increasing the chances of rain to increasing the chances of conception.  These purposeful and seemingly sequenced indentations in rocks can be found in Islamabad, Italy, Australia, and just about everywhere else.  They might be considered the earliest form of perforated-like patterns although the perforations are incomplete, and they&#;re in rock, not metal.

Moving to ancient currency and we&#;re getting closer to what we consider to be perforated metal.  Around 300 BCE, metal coins started to appear with holes in the middle. The general consensus was that the holes were there to make it easy to string the coins around your neck, which would make it harder to lose the newly minted valuables.  Returning home from a hard day's work to explain to the family that this fancy new standardised currency is too easy to lose, would be a hard sell.  Punching a hole in the coins to stop this happening was either great forethought or a quickly adopted adaptation from currency users.  Unless&#;the reason for the holes is actually because it saved on valuable resources and made the coins less expensive to mint.  Still, you&#;d think the first coin mint would have enough money to pay itself.  

Jumping forward to around 800 AD and knights are roaming the land, jousting is a popular pastime and armies clash on horseback.  Perforated metal is used in armour for protection. The holes, presumably too big to allow a sword or an arrow head through, were there to allow the knights to sweat a little easier.  Possibly to shave a little weight too, so the poor horses carrying them could gallop a little easier. 

Perforation and the Renaissance

Leonardo Da Vinci was a bit of a tinkerer, always scribbling down inventions for this and that.  One of these scribbles was for an industrial rolling mill.  For whatever reason, it was discarded and didn&#;t go anywhere, the public seemingly more keen to look at a small painting of a lady with an odd facial expression.  100 years later and the scribble resurfaces, with the first industrial rolling mill that produces sheet metal using elements from the design.  

The rolling mill might not have the same historical significance or value as the Mona Lisa (which is valued at around $1 billion) but it certainly has much more use.  The ability to produce uniform sheet metal has a direct impact on many other inventions.  It&#;s used to hold architectural and structural components together, and finds its way into household appliances, aeroplane fuselages, automobiles and more.  

This includes sieves.  In Poland they were punching holes in metal to create sieves used in the making of cheese.  More recently, in Japan during the Taisho Period, perforated metal sieves were used to help sort crushed stones.  

Punching holes in metal didn&#;t really become a big thing until the late s though.  That&#;s when a chap by the name of Eli Hendrick decided punching holes in metal was a time-consuming and inaccurate endeavour when done by hand.  So he invented a machine that could do it.  There might have been holes in his products but there was none in his business planning.  The company he founded in is still going strong today.  

A Pattern Emerges

Simply making holes in sheet metal with the new machinery would be a little repetitive and boring.  So companies started to get creative and experiment.  What emerged from this period (early s) are the wildly elaborate and ornate designs that would provide the character to many a New York building interior and exterior.  They looked like something out of a F Scott Fitzgerald novel and are very much a part of the extravagance of the roaring twenties.  

Over time, the patterns in perforated metal have become simpler yet also more complicated.  They are simpler because designs are less ornate than those from the early part of the last century, but more complicated because of the ability to create life-like pictures.  With computer modelling, holes of varying sizes and placement can be punched to create pictures for dramatic effect.  For example, the custom dapple pattern at Windy Ridge School uses different open rates to create a changing depth and a scene that brings nature inside, closer to the students.  Functionality (solar control) is there too.  But it&#;s undoubtedly the aesthetics that take centre stage.

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Modern perforated metal has become an art form and we&#;re able to create realistic images or abstract patterns.  And if you want to get really adventurous, layering perforated patterns on top of each other to create a moire effect can introduce a truly beguiling aesthetic.  

So where to go from here?  What does the future for perforated metal look like?  

Well&#;it looks very much like whatever you want it to look like. 

History of perforated metal and the emergence of machine- ...

History of perforated metal and the emergence of machine-made perforated metal

Perforated metal is used for more than just sieves or drainage. This metal design is perfect for a number of unique applications that stretch from sun protection and temperature control to wind resistance and dividers. The history of perforated metal panels offers a glimpse into some of these applications throughout time. We'll take a look at how perforated metal was used originally and how technology has made it possible to use the material in architecture like we do today.

History of perforated metal

Perforated metal has appeared in both industrial and commercial spaces. Its characteristics include flexibility, versatility, and, depending on the material you use, longevity. A perforated metal sheet has holes of a defined shape and size that can come in a standard circular shape at 1 millimetre or can be customised.

In the early days of perforation, rudimentary techniques were used to create holes. The initial uses weren't for decoration but for sieving cheese in the area of modern-day Poland according to National Geographic.

Eventually, early civilizations discovered new uses for perforated sheet patterns for art, warfare and domestic needs. Perforation was even used to punch holes into coins, either so the currency could be strung together or to save on materials.

As sheet metal became more commonplace, perforated metal sheets were used during hand-to-hand combat so soldiers could protect their heads in battle while having the ventilation necessary to breathe. Some ancient examples come from the Sumerian culture in BCE.

Up until the industrial revolution in , metal sheets were hand-flattened using stones or other tools and the holes were punctured using rudimentary tools. In , the first rolling mill was small, hand-driven and primarily used to cut jewellery or machine roll lead for stained glass. The industrial rolling mill offered a revolutionary concept that would save time, money and labour hours.

Finally, in the s, machine-punctured metal was created to drill holes into thick plates. The creative freedom derived from machinery developed into shearing, forming and folding the metal &#; thus creating the uniform perforated material and sheet metal pattern we know today.

How perforated metal is made today

Today, hydraulic machines consisting of a punch and a die make perforated sheets. The metal is first punctured and then the excess metal is pushed out to create an open area. Metal products such as stainless steel or aluminium can vary depending on hole size, pattern and perforated image designs.

Modern perforated sheet metal machines have the capacity to punch between 120 to 500 hits per minute where two to four rows are perforated with every hit. For architectural products, however, often the manufacturer will use linear punches instead due to the need for more precise detail and, if needed,  variances in the shapes and sizes required on the sheet.

Perforated metal sheets are incredibly versatile and can be flattened or folded to create the architectural design you're looking for. It could be the perfect stylized sunscreen to pull your outdoor facade together. Architects can use it for visual depth, and creativity with light filtration, stairs, screens, a perforated facade or balustrade designs. It's perfect for outdoor use because it can withstand harsh weather conditions and even control or equalise the pressure thanks to the strength of the material.

We use a program called Pic-Perf® which develops varying hole sizes to create an image on the metal sheet using bigger, smaller hole punches. Typically, our customers will send over an image they want depicted in the final sheet, Pic-Perf® then creates a series of holes to create the image
taking into consideration the local lighting.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Rare metal mesh. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.