Expansion of sheet materials

Claim 1

A process for the formation of expanded mesh materials wherein a substantially planar starting sheet having a predetermined regularly repeated pattern comprising parallel rows each containing a plurality of slots with each slot in any one row partially overlapping at each end with a different slot in its laterally adjacent row or rows thus forming a plurality of strands consisting of the areas of overlap between adjacent rows of slots at each end of a respective slot, is fed in a stepwise manner through a machine in which each alternate strand diagonal consisting of the successive strands between a given end of a slot in a first row and the opposite end of the adjacent slot in the adjacent second row, between the other end of said adjacent slot and the opposite end of the adjacent slot in the adjacent third row, and between opposite ends of similarly adjacent slots extending diagonally across the sheet, is clamped between working faces of opposed bending tools and bent in succession with all strands in any one diagonal being bent simultaneously, with each strand being bent in opposite directions at each of two positions between the slots which define the sides of each strand, the strands so bent being moved through an arc having a radius corresponding to the distance between said two positions, each strand in each strand diagonal being bent in the same manner and to the same extent so that the strands of the strand diagonal being bent remain in substantially parallel planes during and after bending.