Forming expanded mesh sheet from deformable strip

A method of forming expanded mesh sheet from a deformable strip comprising the steps of concurrently slitting and preforming at least a portion of said strip contained within imperforate border portions to provide one or more longitudinally extending strand-like components, said components comprising elongated slit segments deformed out of the plane of the strip and unslit segments retained in the plane of the strip, said elongated slit segments being severed from laterally adjacent segments and said border portions and being substantially convexly shaped from the plane of the strip whereby slit segments in laterally adjacent components extend from opposite sides of the plane of the strip, and said unslit segments retained in the plane of the strip together define continuous bands extending laterally at least the width of said one or more strand-like components across the said portion of the strip;

• slitting the strip at alternate bands to extend the slit segments in a staggered relation and to define nodes therebetween;
• and laterally expanding the slit preformed portion of the strip wherein the nodes remain substantially in the plane of the strip to form said mesh sheet by drawing opposite longitudinal edges of the strip apart whereby the elongated segments form a network of substantially flattened mesh joined by said nodes wherein unslit portions of the bands provide bonds between adjacent components.