Gary Moore
When you can’t control your uncoiling process, the result is tangles, overruns, twists, and damage to the material. There’s probably no other wire or flat stock handling issue of more importance than controlling the uncoiling process. It’s frustrating and time-consuming to straighten out these messes. In addition, without the proper safety measures in place, uncoiling can present dangerous situations for operators on your line. Uncoiling is a common process in the metal stamping industry, but we’ve also helped uncoil sandpaper, rubber, plastic, and even paper.
What’s Uncoiling?
Uncoiling is the process of straightening out metal coils for further processing. It’s ideal for organizations seeking higher volume output and productivity, as an uncoiling machine is more efficient than hand-feeding presses. For those interested in moving to more automated lines, an uncoiler is the perfect first step in that transition.
Uncoiling vs. Straightening
When you have coiled material, it often maintains a naturally rounded form called ‘coil set.’ Straightening is the next process after you uncoil it. By running material through a straightener, you break that memory.
So how do you decide if your process requires a straightener? The thickness of the material will determine whether it needs to be straightened. If you’re working with material that’s only a few thousandth of an inch thick, for example, the material may not require straightening because it’s thin enough that it doesn’t keep the memory of the coil. Our Press Room professionals work with each customer to help understand their unique application and assess the necessary equipment to keep their lines running as efficiently as possible.
Types of Uncoilers
Press Room offers a couple of different ways to pay out material. We have traditional payout reels, which take one coil at a time—these usually work well with thicker, heavier material—or we offer a pallet-style uncoiler. With a pallet uncoiler, you can set a pallet of coils onto the uncoiler, enabling it to hold multiple coils and run one coil at a time, allowing for quick changeover times. These only work well with thinner material (usually around thicknesses of .010 to .070 and up to 10 to 12 inches wide).
We also offer double arbor payout reels, which allow customers to load multiple coils on each arbor and rotate the equipment so they can use one arbor as they’re running off material and then load the second arbor with another coil. This allows for quicker changeover times.
I often hear from customers how important change-over time is for their operation. If they change coils multiple times a shift it is important to do it as quick as possible to make sure they meet output and high efficiency demands
Safety Concerns
Coils can be heavy. Our average customer uses a coil that’s anywhere from 2,500 pounds to 10,000 pounds—I even have customers who use 30- to 40-thousand-pound coils. It’s important that the equipment used to uncoil these heavy loads is durable and long-lasting. A failure in equipment can lead to dangerous outcomes. Press Room puts safety devices in place to help contain that coil. When you cut a band and don’t have proper—or quality—safety devices in place, it could cause injury or even death. Our role is to help ensure customers get a quality machine that matches what they’re trying to accomplish, in the safest way possible.
Case Study
Press Room had a customer who had a competitor’s payout reel in place. He called us and discussed the safety concerns he was facing. We learned that his operators were scared about the loaded material coming back and hitting them due to unreliable payout machines. After asking deeper questions regarding his safety concerns with the current equipment, we were able to retro-fit some of our safety devices that we would normally put on our equipment onto the competitor’s piece of equipment. This resulted in a safer payout experience for the operators.
The customer leaned on us for expertise to ensure they had a safe piece of equipment. Our customers often remark, “You guys dig deeper and ask more questions—how come your competitors don’t do that?” And that’s what sets us apart. We aim to understand what our customers face each day and size a piece of equipment that does what they need to accomplish, is safe, and will last for years to come.
Is an Uncoiling Solution Right for My Organization?
Press Room’s priority is to understand the customer’s overall process from start to finish. We often have customers contact us and request a quote for a machine they’ve seen on our website. While we understand quickness is paramount, we make it a point to understand our customers’ needs and application to ensure the equipment we help design, develop, and implement will accomplish what they want and will last for years to come.
For more information, contact Press Room at (800) 688-2645.