What Are the Uses of Hexagonal Wire Mesh?

Hexagonal wire mesh is a type of mesh fencing that has hexagonal holes — small or large — fashioned in it and has many different applications. One of the more common names for hexagonal wire mesh is chicken wire, because the mesh commonly is used as fencing for chicken enclosures and has other farming applications. Gabions also can be made with this mesh to help control floods and water levels. An industrial purpose for this mesh is sorting, though specialty wire mesh often is needed for this. Arts and crafts also can make use of this wire for forming objects.

Perhaps the most common use of hexagonal wire mesh is on farms, specifically with chickens. This wire is affixed to posts to make a fence through which chickens cannot pass; this wire mesh often is inexpensive, so it makes it financially easier for farmers to control where chickens can go. The mesh also can be used to keep out pests by making a fence against them, and it can be wrapped around trees and crops to help them grow and to protect them.

Another use of hexagonal wire mesh is in gabion boxes, which may or may not be box shaped. The wire mesh is wrapped around medium to large stones to keep them together, and the boxes are placed against flood banks. This increases the height of these planes, making it harder for the water to reach houses and buildings. Even if there is not a flood, this can help keep water back if it periodically gets too high.

In the industrial realm, hexagonal wire mesh is useful as a sorting mechanism if a manufacturing plant does not have the funds to buy more efficient sorting mechanisms. Item are placed on the wire mesh, and those smaller than the holes will be pushed off to another area, while larger items stay on the mesh; depending on the manufacturer, either the larger or the smaller items are desirable and go on to further processing. Manufacturing plants typically need specifically sized items, so these meshes generally are custom made.

This mesh also can be used for arts and crafts projects, often by amateur artists. The hexagonal wire mesh can be used for forming objects, and then other materials are added on top of the mesh. It also can be used to hold art supplies together, but the mesh usually is underneath everything else as a foundation in art projects.