Cut wire shot
Cut wire shot is a metal shot used for shot peening,[1] where small particles are fired at a workpiece by a compressed air jet.
Rounded shot is often used, but cut wire shot is used as a cheap manufacturing process, as wire-drawing is already a huge and efficient industry supplying the basic feedstock. The sharp edges of the cut shot may also be useful, if an additional cleaning action is desired.
It is manufactured from high quality wire in which each particle is cut to a length about equal to its diameter. If required, the particles are conditioned (rounded) to remove the sharp corners produced during the cutting process.
As-cut particles are an effective abrasive due to the sharp edges created in the cutting process. However, as-cut shot is not a desirable shot peening media. The sharp edges, which are potentially damaging to fatigue life, must be removed in a process called "conditioning".
Depending on application, various hardness ranges are available with cut wire media. Generally, the higher the hardness of the media, the lower the durability.
Cut-Wire Shot applications include: peening, cleaning, tumbling and vibratory finishing.