If your company relies upon cable or wire production, odds are you need to invest in a few wire straighteners. Since cable and wire are usually formed in coils, in order to flatten the lengthy pieces of equipment, your company should have these simple pieces of machinery on hand.

Since there are so many different options to choose from, it's best to formulate an idea of what your company needs. Before you invest in wire straighteners, consider the following:

1. Contact a wire straighteners distributor once you determine the type of machinery your company needs.

2. Buy a manual wire or cable straightener instead of a power-operated one.

3. Save money, and purchase a used wire straightener.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decide on the type of wire straightener to purchase, and check out a wire straighteners manufacturer

Does your company need a single-plane or double-plane wire straightener? Do you want a roll or rotary configuration? Ultimately, the answers to these questions depend upon what type of materials your company produces. Oftentimes if you're unsure of the type to purchase, the wire straighteners supplier has a customer service number that you can call and receive answers to questions.

I recommend: Among its many pieces of equipment, StampTech sells straighteners for metal stamping. Sjogren Industries sells a complete line of roll straighteners as well as replacement parts. At its site, you can view a list of its straighteners according to wire diameter.

Look into a manual wire straightener to form your company's wire or cable

If you're looking for straighteners--wire, cable or otherwise--consider the choices of manual vs. power-operated. Manual wire straighteners have the option of simple construction, but they generally require thicker cables in order to work best. Power-generated straighteners are larger pieces of machinery with complex parts.

I recommend: AsianProducts acts as a broker and supplies an extensive list of manual wire straighteners sold by other companies. It even features a function to alert you if a listing is recent or not. Compare the cost of a manual cable straightener to a power-operated one sold by Witels Albert USA. Its fitted U-groove rolls come standard, while other companies provide this as an option.

Cut costs by purchasing a used wire straightener

Buying new doesn't always mean buying the best. If your budget is minimal, or if you're looking to cut costs, consider purchasing a used wire or cable straightener. Certain companies purchase and sell used machinery, while there are other companies that act like a broker, selling the machinery through listing sites. Look at both options when considering used equipment.

I recommend: Machinery International Corporation sells used rotary and two-plane straighteners to markets both large and small. Currently listing more than 75,000 pieces of equipment, purchase used straighteners from the Used Equipment Network. The company acts as a broker, since you contact the company who made the listing directly.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The best wire straighteners companies produce equipment certified by the International Standards Association (ISO).
• •  Wire straighteners come in many different planes: one-plane is for thin strip applications, two-plane is for uniformity, three-plane is for triangular-shaped pieces and four-plane is for multiple directions.