In 1980, Wirco changed the idea of what a basket should be and look like. We designed and introduced the First Generation of Wirco baskets. The reasons were apparent. The heavy duty basket is all pressure welded, lasts longer, stacks better, and distorts less.

1996 brought on a different design in our New Generation Baskets, built to accommodate the larger and heavier furnace loads of today. The new design adds strength to the side walls and self-aligning stacking loops to transfer the load weight to the base tray. These features provide better stacking and less distortion which result in a heavier load and longer life basket. All of our New Generation Baskets are standardized to fit standard furnace sizes.

Wirco’s unique design is made possible by forming a single piece of rod into a “U” shape design, thus forming the basket and eliminating several single pieces. (See Figure 1) All baskets have a double rod at the top for added support, combined with one or more bands (depending on height) for added strength. All intersections of our baskets have been pressure welded to assure you of consistent furnace life and freedom from mechanical breakdowns. Pressure welding has inherent advantages over conventional welding. In the micrographs next page we graphically show the difference.