Shaving and scalping dies (German: Schabe- und Schäldüsen) are carbide tools with a geometrically defined cutting edge. They remove scale and impurities from rolled or cast wire rod and take off damage or drawing defects from wire that has already been drawn. The process, known as wire shaving or draw-peeling, always aims at a better wire surface. Fritz Leng has been making these dies, mostly to customer drawing, since 1948 in Herborn-Schönbach, Germany.
What are shaving and scalping dies used for?
Shaving and scalping dies remove scale and impurities from rolled or cast wire rod, and they take off damage or drawing defects from drawn wire. The goal of wire shaving is always an improved surface: the wire leaves the die bright and metallically clean.
The trade literature lists the defects that shaving can remove: surface cracks, rolling marks, scale pits, laps and overlaps, near-surface porosity and decarburized skin (see "Wire Draw-peeling (Shaving)", Wire & Cable India). Descaling ahead of the actual draw also protects the downstream tungsten carbide wire drawing dies against abrasive wear from residual scale.
How does wire shaving work?
Wire shaving is a machining process with a geometrically defined cutting edge. That is the essential difference to wire drawing: a drawing die forms the cross-section without removing material, while a shaving die cuts away a thin surface layer together with oxides and contamination.
A cutting process demands a tool matched to the entire line. The correct carbide grade and the exact execution of the tool geometry decide whether the die works at all. Steel wire adds a further process concern: patent literature describes the formation of friction martensite during draw-peeling as a known problem (EP 2532451 B1), one more reason to consider tool and process together. Our knowledge article on drawing die geometry explains why geometry governs the result.
Why are shaving dies made to customer drawing?
Shape and design of a scalping die depend on the shaving line it runs on. There is no standard geometry that fits every machine. We therefore produce shaving and scalping dies mostly to customer drawing, the same way we make our custom carbide tooling.
Depending on the application, various coatings are available to extend service life. Which carbide grade and which coating suit your wire material and your line is settled during design. Our blank stock keeps delivery times short; where necessary we deliver within 24 hours. A measuring report for each tool is available on request.
How does your inquiry proceed?
Send us your drawing as PDF, DXF or STEP, ideally with details of the wire material and the shaving line. We check the geometry, propose a suitable carbide grade and agree coating and tolerances with you. Production takes place in Herborn-Schönbach: we grind bores from 0.2 to 150 mm, polish and measure in-house. Our quality management is certified to ISO 9001:2015, valid until 16 December 2028. English inquiries are answered in English.
Request a quote – upload your drawing (PDF/DXF/STEP) and we will get back to you promptly. Or call us directly: +49 2777 7608.
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