Retrofit an Existing Coil Packing Line | FHOPE

How to Retrofit an Existing Coil Packing Line

Many plants do not need a new automatic coil packing line. Their coil cars, skids and up-enders still work, and the problem sits at one or two manual stations. In a retrofit, we connect new automatic machines to the equipment the plant already has, so that the line keeps running while we fix the bottleneck.

Step 1: Measure the Manual Station You Want to Replace

Start with numbers from the existing line. One tender specification we answered described a manual process of paper wrapping, edge protectors and strapping that took 120 seconds per coil and needed four people: one for the coil car and wrapper, and three for manual jobs. Figures like these show where automation pays off and give a clear target for the new equipment.

The image shows a stainless steel coil packing machine line. Measured numbers from the existing line — like the 120 seconds per coil and four people in the manual example — show where automation pays off.

Step 2: Audit Equipment to Keep, Extend or Replace

In that eye-through wrapping retrofit:

• Kept: the existing V-type skids, coil car, up-ender and manual packaging station (now used for other packaging work)
• Extended: the existing coil-car pit, so it could reach a new wrapping position
• Added: an eye-through wrapper with an outer edge-protector device and cradle roll station, a new pit-type V-saddle coil car, a hydraulic station and safety fencing
• Interlocked: the old and new coil cars, with automatic and manual safeguards against collision

The image shows an automatic steel coil strapping and stacking conveyor line. In a retrofit, existing equipment is audited one by one: what is kept, what is extended, and what new stations are added around it.

Step 3: Pick the Modules to Add

Our modules can be added one at a time:

Step 4: Align Mechanical, Electrical and Utility Interfaces

Before ordering equipment, agree on these interfaces with the plant:

• Mechanical: coil-car pits, foundations, skid heights, and the conveyor length at handover points
• Electrical: we supply the switch cabinets, field wiring and Siemens PLC, plus CAD wiring diagrams and the PLC program. We can also take coil data manually or over Profinet, or share packing data with ERP/MES systems.
• Utilities: 380 V/50 Hz is our standard (400 V/60 Hz on request); compressed air at 0.6–0.8 MPa, clean and dry

The image shows an automated coil packing line inside a plant. The retrofit interfaces are agreed around the equipment that already exists: coil-car pits, foundations, skid heights, conveyor lengths, cabinets and utilities.

Step 5: Plan the Cutover and Handover

The existing line should keep producing until the new stations are ready. Agree which station is switched over first and how the old manual station stays available as a fallback. On an automatic line, the changeover time is the installation time: typically 6–10 days, including installation, commissioning, site wiring and integrating our program with the existing site systems. Retrofit equipment carries the same 2-year warranty as our new lines.

Watch an automatic slit coil packing line:

The image shows a coil packing line manufacturing factory. Retrofit modules are built and tested before cutover, and carry the same 2-year warranty as our new lines.

FAQ

Can you add one machine instead of a whole line? Yes. Each module can be integrated into an existing line.

Can the new equipment work with my existing coil car? Yes, it can be interlocked with existing cars. In one retrofit we added a second coil car with anti-collision safeguards.

Do you supply the controls? Yes: PLC, HMI, switch cabinets and field wiring, plus CAD wiring diagrams and the PLC program.

How long is the line down during a retrofit? It depends on the project. On an automatic line, it is typically 6–10 days, including installation, commissioning, site wiring and program integration.

What warranty applies to retrofit equipment? A 2-year warranty.

Send us your current line layout and the station that limits output on your automatic coil packing line, or contact us.