Lead brass embroidery rod
Lead brass pattern rods are made from lead brass, with a regular pattern formed on the surface through a drawing process. They combine excellent cutting performance, wear resistance, and decorative properties, making them widely used in hardware, precision instruments, and bathroom accessories. Primarily made from lead brass grades such as HPb59-1 and HPb62-3, they contain 57-63% copper and 1-3% lead. The addition of lead not only improves the material’s cutting performance (surface roughness can reach below Ra1.6μm) but also enhances wear resistance, ensuring the pattern remains clear over long-term use. Compared to ordinary brass rods, the pattern on these rods is drawn through a mold in a single pass, eliminating the need for subsequent engraving, resulting in higher production efficiency. The pattern also boasts a uniform depth (typically 0.1-0.5mm) and a strong three-dimensional effect, meeting both decorative and functional requirements.
The production process for lead brass patterned rods involves key steps, including raw material preparation, drawing, and surface treatment. The key lies in the design of the pattern die and the control of drawing parameters. First, high-quality lead brass ingots are hot-rolled or extruded into rod blanks with a diameter of 10-50mm. The rod blanks are then annealed (at 500-600°C) to eliminate work hardening and achieve a hardness of HB60-80, ensuring resistance to cracking during the drawing process. Subsequently, a dedicated pattern drawing die is fabricated based on the desired pattern (e.g., straight, reticulated, or spiral). The die’s pattern accuracy must reach ±0.01mm to ensure the clarity of the finished pattern. During the drawing process, the rod blank is heated to 200-300°C (warm drawing). A uniform pulling force is applied as it passes through the die, and the drawing speed is controlled at 5-10m/min to avoid deformation of the pattern caused by excessive speed. After drawing is completed, deburring and cleaning are carried out. Some products also need to be electroplated (such as chrome plating, nickel plating) to improve corrosion resistance and decorative effects. Finally, pattern depth detection and size measurement are carried out to ensure that the product meets the standards.
In the hardware and decoration sectors, lead brass patterned rods are ideal for handles and knobs. Home door lock handles are made from HPb59-1 patterned rod. The spiral or mesh pattern on the surface not only enhances grip friction but also elevates the lock’s class through the metallic texture of brass. One brand of door locks using this material has seen a 30% increase in customer satisfaction. Bathroom faucet knobs are made from patterned rods. The patterned surface prevents slipping, and after polishing, they impart a delicate metallic luster that complements the bathroom environment. In arts and crafts, the supporting columns of small ornaments utilize thin-diameter patterned rods (5-10mm in diameter). The combination of different patterns creates unique decorative effects. One craft manufacturer has increased its product price premium by 20% through customized pattern design.
The precision instrument and machinery parts sectors require even higher precision from lead brass pattern rods. The gear shafts of watch movements use pattern rods with a diameter of 3-5mm. The straight-grained surface design enhances the stability of the fit with the gears and prevents slippage. Test data from a certain watch brand shows that the transmission error of the gear shaft using pattern rods is controlled within 0.01mm. The yarn guide rods of textile machinery use pattern rods. The uniform mesh pattern on the surface can reduce friction between the yarn and the rod body, lowering the breakage rate. After adopting this material, a textile factory increased its production efficiency by 15%. In automated equipment, the core shaft of the adjustment handle uses a pattern rod. The interference fit between the pattern and the handle ensures uniform force transmission during the adjustment process. Equipment debugging data from an automated equipment manufacturer shows that the adjustment accuracy of the handle using a pattern rod is improved to ±0.05mm.
As the market demand for personalization and functionality grows, the production technology and application scenarios of lead brass pattern sticks continue to expand. Manufacturers have developed high-precision laser engraving molds to achieve the one-time drawing of complex patterns (such as reliefs and logos) to meet customization needs. In response to environmental protection requirements, low-lead brass pattern sticks (lead content ≤ 0.1%) have been developed to comply with EU RoHS standards and expand their application in the fields of electronics and medical devices. In terms of process innovation, cold drawing is used instead of warm drawing to improve pattern accuracy (deviation ≤ 0.005mm). Using this technology, one company has increased its product qualification rate to over 99%. In the future, as consumers’ requirements for product appearance and feel increase, pattern sticks will develop towards finer patterns and more diversified material combinations, providing more valuable material solutions for various industries.
