How To Choose The Right Coil Packing Line

In the metal processing industry, coil packaging lines are not only related to the aesthetics and complete delivery of products, but also directly affect storage efficiency and transportation safety.With the increasing demand for automation and efficient logistics in the market, a suitable coil packaging line has become an indispensable key link in the intelligent upgrading of factories.
Faced with numerous manufacturers, configuration schemes, and technical parameters of coil packaging lines in the market, how to choose has become a key issue for enterprises.Next, through this article, we will analyze how to choose suitable coil packaging from multiple perspectives, what factors need to be considered, and help you choose the most suitable coil packaging line reasonably to improve the overall operational efficiency of the enterprise.

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What is a coil packaging line?

The coil packaging line is a complete set of equipment system dedicated to automated packaging of metal materials such as steel coils, aluminum coils, copper coils, etc.It integrates multiple functions such as winding, threading, palletizing, and weighing to achieve effective protection and standardized processing of coils, ensuring the safety and integrity of products during transportation and storage.
This device is widely used in fields such as steel, metallurgy, and metal processing, and is a key component of modern factory intelligent logistics systems.

Clearly define packaging requirements and production parameters

Before choosing a coil packaging line, it is important to have a clear understanding of the product characteristics and production line parameters, including:
Coil size range
What are the sizes of the coils produced by the factory, including inner diameter, outer diameter, width, and weight range?
Capacity requirement
What is the daily/hourly production capacity of the factory, and what is the minimum/maximum amount of coil packaging that needs to be completed per day/hour?
Product type
What are the types of coils that the factory needs to package?For example, cold-coiled, hot-coiled, stainless steel, copper coils, etc.
Packaging material requirements
What are the main packaging materials? For example, composite paper, woven fabric, plastic film, PE film, etc.
These basic information parameters directly determine the structural design of the selected equipment. Different types of steel coils correspond to different packaging methods. For example, large-diameter steel coils are suitable for horizontal winding structures, while lightweight coils can use vertical tape packaging lines.

Packaging consistency and protective capability

Not all coil packaging lines can achieve "good packaging". Truly high standard packaging not only requires a clean appearance, but also practical performance such as resistance to transportation impact, rust, water and moisture.
● Consistency of winding tension: Can the tension system be intelligently adjusted according to the coil diameter?
● Film overlap and coverage: Does it meet the composite wrapping standard of ≥ 70%?
● Multi layer composite packaging process: supports sequential composite of multiple materials such as film, paper, and fabric?

Core configuration of coil packaging line

A high-quality coil packaging line should have a mature and reliable control system and components, which will directly affect the quality and performance of the equipment. Therefore, you also need to check whether the packaging line meets the following standards:
● Does the control system support PLC+touch screen operation?Can it be integrated with the ERP system?
● Is the servo motor and variable frequency control of the transmission system precise?
● What is the average packaging time per coil?Can we cope with peak production capacity?
● Is the packaging line equipped with safety and protection design, such as emergency stop, anti coil collision, and anti misoperation design?

Equipment structure design and maintenance convenience

An excellent coil packaging line should not only be efficient and reliable in operation, but also have a user-friendly design that facilitates daily maintenance and troubleshooting
● Modular structure: Is it easy to quickly replace components?For example, can the threading device and winding module be designed in a pull-out manner?
● Lubrication and maintenance channels: Are there centralized lubrication points or automatic lubrication systems?Is the electrical control box separated from the actuating components to prevent contamination?
● Fault location system: Does it have automatic fault alarm and rapid location mechanism?For example, alarm systems and diagnostic interfaces with codes.
Many factories often overlook the labor and time costs generated by equipment maintenance in the later stage, which is precisely a crucial part of the long-term operating costs of automatic coil packaging lines.

Personalized customization service

The coil packaging line does not operate in isolation, but rather needs to consider the factory's spatial layout and production line integration capabilities, as well as the overall compatibility with the entire factory's logistics, warehousing, and production processes. Therefore, personalized customized equipment is particularly important.
● Layout customization: Can a circular layout be made according to the site, such as a U-shaped layout or an L-shaped corner layout.
● Interface reservation: Whether to reserve interfaces with upstream rewinding machines, downstream automatic conveying systems, or AGVs.
● Intelligent integration: Can all packaging rhythms be uniformly scheduled through the central control system.
Jinglin automatic coil packaging line will draw detailed 3D layout diagrams based on the customer's factory area and spatial layout, simulate the on-site rhythm, transportation path and operation flow, and ensure that every link can be precise and error free.

Choose an automatic coil packaging line

With the continuous improvement of industrial automation, more and more enterprises tend to adopt automatic coil packaging lines to achieve full process automation from winding, weighing, packaging, winding, palletizing, etc.
● Save labor: The automatic coil packaging line can replace 5-10 operators and reduce labor dependence.
● High packaging consistency: Under automated program control, the winding tension and path can maintain constant standard operation.
● Integrated system: The automation system can be integrated with the warehouse management system WMS or ERP system to improve the overall informationization level of the factory.
Compared to traditional packaging lines, automatic coil packaging lines are more suitable for the continuous and large-scale production needs of large manufacturing enterprises.

Service system and project implementation capability

A high-quality coil packaging line is not only the quality of the equipment itself, but also a reflection of the company's service capabilities. Jinglin always emphasizes the "turnkey" project delivery model, providing customers with worry free services throughout the entire process from scheme design, production and manufacturing, factory pre assembly, on-site installation and commissioning, to personnel training and after-sales maintenance.
● Quick installation and debugging support
● 24/7 remote technical assistance
● Quick spare parts response
● Rapid response mechanism for emergency spare parts

Conclusion

How does Sheffield Metals produce materials for customers? 

Sheffield Metals International (SMI) is a leading provider of metal roofing materials, including metal coils, sheets, and accessories like clips and fasteners. We provide services for architects, contractors, and fabricators through our CAT (commercial, architectural and technical) team. Plus, we release weekly content like this article to provide additional education on a variety of topics. 

We often get questions about how Sheffield stocks inventory and what role we play in the production process. While the gap between the steel mill and panel fabrication may seem small, it plays a significant role in getting our customers exactly what they need and keeping their businesses running efficiently. If you’re someone curious about how a metal roofing supplier operates and what our production process looks like, this article is for you. 

In this article, we’ll look at Sheffield Metals’ production process and how coils and sheets are produced for customers.  

How Does Production Work at Sheffield Metals? 

Before they get to production, Sheffield purchases coils from a steel mill. From there, the coils are sent to a paint coating line, and finally shipped to a Sheffield Metals facility to be cut to the customers’ desired width and length. The material is then organized into our inventory to await the production process.  

Once the metal is in our building, our inside sales members will transfer orders to our production assistant. The assistant will choose what coils we have in stock that will work best to fulfill that order – typically, we’ll use coil that has been sitting in inventory, on a first-in, first-out basis, so our products stay fresh.  

The cut-to-length and slitting line are where coils and sheets are produced to the customers requested specifications. 

How Coils Are Slit to Width  

The slitting line is where coils are cut to specified dimensions. This process takes the original coil, also known as the “master coil”, from the steel mill and transforms it into the workable materials used by metal roofing contractors and fabricators.  

Once a new batch is ready for slitting, the operator will pull that material and prepare it by loading the master coil onto the machine, uncoiling it, running it through the slit head, and slitting it to the desired length. Most coils will be split in half.  

Cardboard cores are placed onto the recoiler, which is used to hold the metal during transit. The metal slowly moves through the slitter and then is attached to these cores, then slit to the exact amount of material the customer requests.  

After it’s run on the recoiler at the back end of the machine, it moves along to a spinning tree which can have two, three or sometimes four arms, based on the specific machine. 

The coil is pushed into the tree and rotated. After that, it’s put onto a conveyer belt to get it ready for shipping. The slit coil is placed on a skid and banded down. A label and an outer layer of plastic wrap are added for protection during transit. Then it’s ready for shipping. 

Standard Widths and Batching Orders 

On the slitting line, metal coils are cut to standard widths – the most common cuts are 24”, 20”, and 16” from 40” and 48” master coils. These are the standard widths of master coils that Sheffield Metals keeps in stock.   

You will get efficient and thoughtful service from Lihao Machine.

The production assistant will decide the number of master coils needed for slitting based on the unique sales order – it’s up to them to schedule when each order will be produced, and how to batch them for optimal efficiency.  

Similar orders will be batched together so that operators can stay in rhythm and maximize production throughout the day. For instance, all 24” coils would be cut on one day, 20” coils on another.  

The operations team works hard to maximize efficiency by batching orders so customers can get their material as soon as possible.  

Sheffield Metals slits all orders to custom lengths, but custom widths may incur additional setup and dropcut fees.  

How Metal Sheets are Processed  

The cut-to-length line, also known as the CTL line, is where metal sheets are produced. Flat sheets can then be purchased by contractors and fabricators and run through a rollforming machine to get the desired panels for their project.  

The cut-to-length production line deals with leveling and cutting metal sheets to the desired lengths for customers. The material is fed through felt pads, which cleans the material of any lingering dirt and grime before it is unrolled by the CTL (cut-to-length) machine.  

The material is then run through a flattening process which eliminates the “memory” of the sheets so that they remain flat without curling. The sheets are then cut to the standard or custom length. 

These sheets are then transferred to the end of the machine, where they’re stacked in a pile.  

Sheffield Metals’ standard sizes for sheets are 4’x10’. (48” x 120”) 

The order process for both the slitting line and the cut-to-length line is similar – inside sales communicates the order to the production or operations assistant, who then chooses what material is going to be used.  

Since the cut-to-length line deals with shorter amounts of materials, scheduling can be a bit less intensive than the slitting line.  

Like the slitting line, Sheffield Metals can fulfill custom orders for a wide variety of dimensions and colors. 

How is Quality Maintained on the Production Line? 

On both machines, there are felt pads which apply pressure to the material – these pads clean off the dust and dirt that may build up on the metal during shipments. It also helps the PVC film adhere better to the surface of the materials.  

Sometimes, material is damaged in transit, leaving dents, dings, crushed edges, holes in the metal or water spots. In these cases, it’s up to the operator to spot that damage as it’s being run through the production line. Once damage is spotted, production is halted and it’s replaced with fresh material.   

Our entire team is dedicated to ensuring you get high-quality material on time by focusing on streamlining our production process. We’re always seeking new ways to improve efficiency and serve our customers in the best way possible.  

Need to Place an Order at Sheffield Metals? 

There are many options when it comes to choosing a metal roofing supplier. The key is to find a reliable, trusted source in the industry with a proven track record of projects, references, and accompanying support that can provide assistance even after you purchase material. 

At Sheffield Metals, we’re committed to helping our customers every step of the way, from their initial buying decision all the way through their finished project. Aside from offering metal sheet and coil and a variety of metal roofing accessories, we also provide technical assistance, including our engineered panel profiles complete with testing and warranty information.  

Feel free to check out additional resources related to this topic below: 

What to Expect When You Buy from Sheffield Metals – Sheffield Metals 

Sheffield Metals Products, Processes and Services Overview  – Sheffield Metals 

Contact us today to place an order.  

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Coil Production Line Solutions.