Wire forming is the process of bending or shaping a useful product from a roll of gauged wire. This process may not sound very useful on the surface, but just think about how many comforts of industrialized living we would not have without the abilities of forming wire. Skyscrapers would not exist without rebar, electric light bulbs could not work without a filament. Even the bed you sleep on contains springs that were made using the process of wire forming.
Today, we use a simple technique very much like the Egyptians to work and form our metal. This process is called wire drawing, and was developed around 1,000 C.E. Metalworkers take a strip of metal and pull it through a series of metal dies, or molds, along with some lubrication. The process is in itself very simple, and a person can make many sizes and thicknesses of wire by using different sets of dies. In fact, this process is so versatile that we also use drawing in conjunction with glass in order to make fiber optic cable.
In conclusion, we think of metalworking today on a grandiose scale. Sure, we build cars, planes, trains, and ships. But where would those large scale products be without wire spokes for tires, or springs under a car chassis? We have to remember that wire forming is an integral part of our industrial culture, and can be performed by just about everyone from artists and jewelry makers to the most advanced skyscraper builders. Metal is no less than a status symbol: we wear it around our necks and wrists, and gaze upon our beloved metal structures with fondness. But without the most basic concept that is wire forming, we would not have a civilization to stand upon.