Wire form shapes

Most 2D jobs are a short alphabet: L, U, J, S, C, V, plus a straight. Serpentine and closed frames are the same cell with more bends. 2D CNC when it lies on a plate. 3D CNC when a bend leaves the plane. Radii and min legs: design guide.

Straight / cut-to-length

No bend. Coil, straighten, cut. Pins, blanks, and rods that get formed later. Length and end face are the quote. Detail: cut-to-length. Chamfer, flatten, pierce, or thread is end forming.

Letter forms

L

One 90°. L-pins, offsets, and simple brackets. Name both leg lengths and the inside radius.

U

Two legs, one radius. U-hangers and clamp Us, ground staples, concrete lifting U-anchors. Inside width, leg length, wire size. A forged headed U-anchor is not this cell.

J

A long leg and a hook. J-hooks, cable hangers, hose hangers. Throat and whether the top is an eye or a straight.

S

Two bends, opposite ways. S-hooks. Eyes even or offset. Closed eyes when the print wants them to stay on a ring.

C

An open ring. Hog rings, powder-line C-hooks, keepers. Open gap and whether the ends are pointed.

V

Two legs, a tight crotch. Line V-hooks and simple saddles. Included angle and inside radius on the print.

Z / offset

Two 90° bends the same way, a crank in the middle. Offsets, steps, and some brackets. Two radii and the offset height.

Eyes, rings, clips

• Eye / P — a wrap on the end of a leg. Eye forms. Inside diameter and whether it is closed or welded.
• D-ring — flat span, round back. D-rings. Formed wire, not a forged trailer D.
• O / closed ring — round loop, usually welded. Closed rings, connecting links, load loops.
• Hairpin / R-clip — hitch pin clips. Typical catalog clips sit under 4 mm; stock coil when the clip itself is 3/8 to 1/2 in.

Serpentine / zigzag / wave

Repeating bends in one plane: a wave, a zigzag, a set of equal pitches. HVAC and furniture snakes, reinforcement in a grid, a spring-looking path that is not a spring. Pitch, amplitude, overall length, and how many reversals. Leave real straights between reversals — see the design guide.

Mattress and 9-gauge furniture zigzag is under 4 mm. We will name that. In 3/8 to 1/2 in a serpentine is a heavy wave, often welded into a frame or a grid.

Closed frames and rectangles

Four corners (or more) that meet. Formed open, then resistance or MIG / TIG at the joint. Wire frames, guard outlines, furniture, trellis rims. Do not program a fully closed path that traps the part on the pin.

3D paths

The same letters, plus a rotation out of plane: a J with a kick, a handle with an offset, a seat or rack outline. That is 3D CNC, not a different alphabet.

Not these shapes

• A coil with a rate — that is a spring maker, usually well under 4 mm.
• Forged spherical-head lifting anchors and headed U-feet — a forge, not CNC coil.
• Stamped over-center latches, rolled-flat J-hooks, chain-link from a roll.

What the print should say

• The letter or a centerline — not a shaded solid with no path
• Diameter: 3/8, 7/16, or 1/2 in when it is stock
• Inside radii, not sharp CAD corners
• Open vs closed, and whether a weld is allowed
• Ends: square, shear-ok, chamfer, flatten, eye — end forming

A DXF or STEP of the centerline plus a PDF with the critical dims. A photo is not a print.

Related

• 2D CNC · 3D CNC
• Cut-to-length · End forming
• Design for wire forming
• Product directory — the SKU for each letter
• 3/8, 7/16, and 1/2 in