Mesh is a type of fabric with a lattice-like structure.

What is mesh?

mesh isa type of netting that can be made from a variety of materials. The main properties of the mesh are its permeability, high tear resistance and adaptability to different shapes. Depending on its composition, mesh can be used for a variety of purposes.

The mesh can be woven to be very dense or very open. Coarsely structured mesh is more permeable to light, air or liquids.

Mesh material

A mesh is made from a variety of materials and used in many industries. Cotton gauze, for example, is a flat-woven bandage material and is known as wound gauze or gauze. Metal gauze is a robust and adaptable mesh that is often used in industry and the automotive sector for repairs, e.g. to cracks in a car body (grid). As a semi-permeable screen fabric, mesh is also used in bookbinding. Plastic mesh is used in agriculture as an insect protection mesh and shading net, or on construction sites as scaffolding nets and container nets. Private households also use mesh for view protection on fences or as balcony blinds, as well as for sun sails.

PE mesh – a mesh made of high-density polyethylene

A particularly robust and highly tear-resistant mesh is made from PE HD. The plastic gauze made of polyethylene is suitable as a view protection net and wind protection net for a variety of applications in event supplies. The highly tear-resistant plastic mesh is dimensionally stable and weather-resistant, among other things. Mesh plastic nets can be sewn and can be individually customised for installation. The polyethylene net , like the mesh vinyl, can also be printed as an advertising screen.

Properties: mesh netting

polyethylene plastic mesh offers not only wind permeability but also, and primarily, enormous tear resistance. The mesh can be stretched and expanded and still retains its shape. The PE meshes offer high elongation at break.

PE mesh is:

• weather resistant
• UV-resistant (1-2 years) or UV-stabilised (up to 10 years)
• water-repellent and rot-resistant
• resistant to oils, alkalis, acids, alcohols, petrol
• Temperature resistant from approx. -30°C to 80°C
• highly tear-resistant and adaptable in shape
• Depending on the structure: permeable to wind and light, opaque
• colourfast
• sound-absorbing
• Optionally: flame retardant with B1 certificate according to DIN 4102

Detailed information is provided below.

• Mesh netting in different structures

Depending on the intended use, the mesh can be very coarse or finely woven. The structure of the plastic mesh determines the different properties. The more open the mesh, the less opaque the fabric is, but the more permeable to wind. The more tightly woven the mesh, the more sound-, rain- and windproof the plastic mesh will be. PE meshes that are woven particularly tightly are highly opaque.

PE netting application:

• as a fence panel with eyelets for wind protection and privacy
• as an advertising screen, printed vinyl mesh for construction site fences, facades and scaffolding
• Stagenet for covering stages and grandstands (Stagemesh)
• printed mesh vinyl as a stage backdrop and as a light and air-permeable fabric for stage decoration
• Soundmesh (PA Mesh) to protect the PA system at open-air events
• Sprinklermesh as a permeable fabric for hanging from the ceiling (sprinkler net)
• Grass-protection mesh to prevent damage to the open-air site

UV-stable visual and wind protection nets

Since plastic meshes are mostly used outdoors, the mesh can also be made UV-resistant for long-term use. Depending on the amount of sunlight and the type of UV mesh used, a UV stability of 8 to 10 years can be expected.

Flame-retardant mesh

For safe use in public (e.g. at events), mesh is also available with B1 certification according to DIN 4102. The wind and view protection net is therefore flame retardant and meets the applicable fire protection standards in the event industry. Worth knowing: flame retardant mesh is only UV resistant for about 1 to 2 years.

Tensile strength of the mesh made of PE HD

Due to the material used and the special manufacturing process, the high-quality plastic mesh made of PE HD is extremely tear-resistant. The tear resistance is determined in official test procedures in both the longitudinal and transverse direction. The arithmetic mean value for the maximum tensile strength of mesh 203 is 371 N lengthwise and 622 N crosswise.

Colour fastness of PE HD

The colour fastness indicates how long the colours of a fabric retain their brilliance when exposed to the elements (sun, rain, snow). To make a general statement, it can be said that black, white, green and blue view protection nets retain their colour brilliance over a long period of time. Nets with a yellow component (yellow, red and orange PE meshes) fade more quickly under UV light.

How are meshes made?

Meshes are knitted fabrics. A distinction is made between hand-made and industrially manufactured nets. PE meshes are knitted textiles that are produced on special knitting machines and can only be produced by machine. This knitted fabric differs from hand-made knitted fabrics, such as knitting or crocheting, in the following ways:

• Knitting or crocheting: a thread runs horizontally along the row of stitches
• Industrial knitwear: the thread forms stitches that are on top of each other. The thread is vertical. Together with the adjacent thread, it forms a mesh.

Production of PE mesh

PE plastic nets are made of a double-layered polyethylene foil (PE foil). One foil has a thickness of approx. 78 µ.

During production, the PE foil is first cut into 4.2 mm wide strips. The strips are then heated and stretched. This allows the strips to reach six times their length. The thread width is reduced to 1.5 mm, the thread thickness to 30 µ. In the next step, the thread is heated again, causing it to shrink again. This process ensures a particularly strong thread with a high tensile strength, even under extreme tensile loads.

205 threads are needed for each metre of mesh, so 3 x 205 threads are needed for a width of one metre. During production, these are wound onto special rollers and then placed on warp knitting machines (warp-knitted fabric, see picture below).

Each stitch-forming thread runs in a zigzag pattern lengthwise through the fabric, which means that the fabric cannot be pulled up. The knitting machine is equipped with three needle levels that are guided through the tapes. All three levels move in three dimensions. Depending on the density of the mesh structure, different grammages and different values of wind permeability and opacity result.

Mesh with selvedges

The side edges can be produced in two different ways during the knitting process:

1. Normal selvedge:: In the case of a normal selvedge, the outermost weft thread is guided inwards, creating a slight reinforcement at the edge.
   
   
2. Edge finish with buttonhole strip:. Foran edge finish with a buttonhole strip, the needle is guided through the pattern chain in such a way that after a defined distance the weft thread (the thread that is passed through) leaves an opening - the buttonhole. This does not reinforce the mesh at the edge, but it makes it much easier to attach cable ties or carabiners.

Customisation options for the mesh

Depending on the intended use, the finished mesh can be customised in different ways for attachment:

• reinforced hem with metal eyelets
• Velcro and fleece tape
• piping
• zip

Cleaning PE mesh

Polyethylene mesh is very easy to clean. The plastic mesh can be cleaned with conventional cleaning agents or water. Since mesh is a water-repellent and non-absorbent fabric, the cleaning process does not pose any risk to the further usability of the mesh.

Store and transport PE mesh correctly

Since the mesh is made of polyethylene, it is sensitive to heat. The material begins to shrink at temperatures of approx. 75°C and above. Particular care should be taken with foils wrapped around the mesh. Heat can build up in the packaging during summer months. To ensure that the gauze remains intact even at high temperatures, the mesh should be stored and transported unpackaged. Ensure good ventilation during long transport. To avoid kinks, the material should be stored horizontally, preferably on rolls.

Mesh 201

This plastic mesh made of PE is very coarse-meshed and therefore offers a high level of light and air permeability. The wind permeability of the fabric is approx. 50%. The very open mesh offers the highest sound permeability. As a soundmesh, it offers relatively little privacy, but ensures the best sound quality. The weight of the mesh is approx. 125 g/m². The mesh is B1 certified and UV-resistant for 1 to 2 years.

Mesh 202

Mesh 202 is also referred to as PA mesh or open stagenet. This mesh has a coarse structure and is therefore approx. 37% permeable to wind and sound. The rather open plastic mesh provides less view protection. The plastic mesh is only opaque from a viewing distance of approx. 25 m. This mesh can be mounted in particularly windy, exposed places. This fabric is less suitable as a shading net. The plastic mesh is lightweight, at around^{140 g/m2}. Stagenet is B1 certified and UV-resistant for 1 to 2 years.

Mesh 203

The slightly denser plastic mesh is equipped with a wind permeability of approx. 27%. A compromise between a wind protection net and a view protection net. In event supplies, it is often used as a stagenet, a lawn protection net or a fence panel for windy terrain. The mesh is opaque from a viewing distance of about 11 m. This mesh also retains its UV stability for about 2-3 years. Mesh 203 is also used as a protective net on scaffolding on construction sites or on facades. The windbreak mesh weighs approx. 160 g/m². The view protection net is B1 certified and UV-resistant for 1 to 2 years.

800 mesh

This mesh is often used as a privacy screen for fences or stages. The material can be easily attached as a fence tarp or opaque stagenet using cable ties and can be mounted in a dimensionally stable manner, even over long distances. Mesh 800 is usually attached to construction site fences to enclose a site. From a viewing distance of approx. 8.5 m, the fabric is completely opaque. The wind permeability is approx. 20 %. In addition to black and white, mesh 800 is also available as a coloured mesh in green, blue, light blue, grey, yellow, red and orange . Colourful view protection nets in B1 quality are UV-resistant for about 1 to 2 years, normally flammable nets for about 10 years. For the installation of the view protection, please calculate a...