As you might have guessed, manufacturing chain link fences involves a similar process to that of knitting a sweater—assuming that the machine is a mad giant with a flock of steel wool—bearing sheep.
Typically made from galvanized or LLDPE-coated steel wire, chain link fences feature a distinctive zig-zag pattern that isn’t just there for looks; each “zig” and “zag” is designed to create an optimal hook for the wire resulting in the unmistakable diamond pattern.
The machine was, in fact, modeled after a cloth weaving machine in 1844 by a Norwich, UK man by the name of Charles Barnard, co-founder of the firm Bishop & Barnard.
While manufacturing has changed more or less over the past century, the gist of the knit-like manufacturing process remains the same—as evidenced in this more recent video of a fully-automatic chain link fence machine:
