Automatic Copper Coil Taping Machine: Through-the-Eye Wrapping for HVAC Tube & Strip

Executive summary

Copper tube coils for air-conditioning and refrigeration are soft, bright and easily marked. Our automatic copper coil packing machine wraps each coil through the eye with woven tape, paper or stretch film while the coil turns on rollers. The FPC-200 takes coils of 5–500 kg and the FPC-300 coils of 10–1,000 kg, both with ring speeds up to 100 r/min, and an electronic scale can be built into the line.

Table of Contents

Why copper tube coils are taped

A level-wound copper tube coil is soft metal. A dent in an outer turn or a scratch on the bright surface can lead to a rejected coil. Copper also tarnishes rapidly when atmospheric moisture and airborne contaminants reach the bare metal. A full through-the-eye wrap protects every face of the coil, holds the outer turns firmly in place, and keeps dust and moisture off the tube until it reaches the customer’s production line.

For narrow coils and thin-gauge strip, physical distortion is an equal concern. The horizontal wrapping architecture provides full bottom-bed support during the entire wrapping cycle, allowing the machine to safely wrap copper slit coils as narrow as 8 mm without edge buckling or plastic deformation [manufacturer rating].

Operation step by step

  1. Infeed. The coil arrives flat on the roller conveyor, positioned horizontally with its eye oriented vertically relative to the station.
  2. Centre. The coil is brought to the wrapping station, and its internal eye is aligned symmetrically with the wrapping ring trajectory.
  3. Wrap. The orbital ring rotates through the bore of the coil, laying one continuous band of tape around the cross-section on each revolution. Heavy-duty drive rollers rotate the coil slowly on its central axis, ensuring each successive layer overlaps the previous one by a calibrated percentage.
  4. Cut and finish. After completing a full 360° coil rotation plus a designated overlap sector, the rotating ring halts, and the trailing packaging material is mechanically cut and pressed flush against the outer wrap.
  5. Outfeed. The fully wrapped coil transfers to downstream stations for weighing, automatic labelling, or protective pallet stacking.

Ring rotational speed and coil roller speed are independently adjustable via variable frequency drives (VFD), and their coordinated speed ratio establishes the exact overlap percentage.

Tape, paper or film

Material Use
Woven belt (tape) Strong outer mechanical layer that resists tearing, puncture, and abrasion during transit
Paper Placed directly next to the copper to prevent surface scuffing and keep adhesive or polymer film off the bright metal
Stretch film Elastic moisture and dust barrier; transparent finish allows visual inspection of external coil condition

All three packaging media can run on the same interchangeable dispenser head. The required material roll specifications are:

  • Core inner diameter (ID): 50 mm or 76 mm
  • Roll outer diameter (OD): 150–450 mm
  • Tape / film width: 90–120 mm

Specifications: FPC-200 and FPC-300

Item FPC-200 FPC-300
Coil weight 5–500 kg 10–1,000 kg
Coil width 10–200 mm 10–300 mm
Coil OD 600–1,200 mm 700–1,200 mm
Coil ID 300–800 mm 400–900 mm
OD − ID under 800 mm under 600 mm
Ring speed 10–100 r/min 5–100 r/min
Overlap 20%–90% 10%–90%
Power 380 V, 50/60 Hz, 3 ph 380 V, 50/60 Hz, 3 ph
Air supply 5–8 kgf/cm² (about 0.5–0.8 MPa) 5–8 kgf/cm² (about 0.5–0.8 MPa)

To match plant cycle times, the coil drive rollers operate at 2–4 m/min, yielding a standard wrapping cycle of 35–50 sec/pcs on the FPC-300 platform [manufacturer rating], subject to final coil geometry and line integration. Both machines can be tailored to custom plant specifications.

Worked example: tape and time per coil

Consider a level-wound copper tube coil with 900 mm OD, 600 mm ID, and 250 mm width wrapped on the FPC-300, using 100 mm wide woven tape applied at a 40% overlap. The overlap ratio is calculated at the inner bore, where the circumference is smallest and layer separation is most critical.

Step Calculation Result
Range check width 250 ≤ 300 mm; OD − ID = 300 < 600 mm fits FPC-300 envelope
Bore circumference π × 600 about 1,885 mm
Advance per ring turn 100 × (1 − 40%) 60 mm
Ring turns per coil 1,885 ÷ 60 = 31.41 32 turns
Tape per ring turn 2 × radial wall (900 − 600) ÷ 2 + 2 × width 250 800 mm (0.8 m)
Tape per coil 32 × 0.8 m about 25.6 m
Wrapping time at 60 r/min 32 ÷ 60 about 32 s

Result. Approximately 32 ring rotations and 25.6 m of tape secure the coil in a continuous single layer. At a moderate ring operating speed of 60 r/min, pure wrapping takes about 32 seconds.

This derived running time aligns directly with the standard factory packaging cycle benchmark of 35–50 sec/pcs [manufacturer rating], which accounts for automated coil feeding, smooth VFD ring acceleration/deceleration curves, and automatic cut-and-clamp termination.

Line options: scale, conveyor, stacking

An electronic scale can be integrated directly into the FPC-300 infeed or wrapping conveyor, enabling automatic tare and net weight logging within the same cycle pass. We regularly supply powered roller conveyors with built-in load cells ahead of the wrapping station to streamline traceability.

Motorized infeed and outfeed conveyors, thermal barcode printers, and mechanical downenders or vacuum stacking arms can be integrated into the layout, matching the continuous flow of our automatic copper tube coil packing machine. A plant-specific layout drawing and line clearance simulation are prepared prior to order sign-off.

Selection checklist

  1. Coil physical envelope: minimum and maximum OD, ID, face width, and total weight.
  2. Packaging media selection: woven protective tape, crepe paper, LLDPE stretch film, or a two-layer compound wrap.
  3. Target plant throughput (coils per hour).
  4. Line integration requirements: inline weighing scale, data logging, and automatic label applicator.
  5. Post-wrap handling: automated upending, palletizing, or robotic stacking.

Safety: EN 415-10 and ISO 12100

Coil wrapping machinery is classified under European safety directives as packaging machinery other than pallet wrappers, falling strictly under EN 415-10, with comprehensive risk assessments executed in compliance with ISO 12100:2010.

The rotating orbital shuttle ring, the synchronized support rollers, and conveyor transfer interfaces represent the primary mechanical pinch points. Ring drive circuits are interlocked to prevent operation whenever the safety perimeter is breached or the operator is within the wrapping envelope. Dual-channel emergency stop buttons are positioned along the operating console and conveyor perimeter. Physical perimeter guarding, light curtains, and CE conformity documentation are engineered to local workplace safety regulations.

Engineering FAQ

Q: Which model do I need for my mill? A: For package weights up to 500 kg and widths to 200 mm, select the FPC-200. For coils up to 1,000 kg and widths to 300 mm, the FPC-300 is the standard choice. For dedicated light-to-medium tube coil operations processing 50–300 kg units, FHOPE also manufactures specialized copper tube coil wrapping units rated for 25–45 sec/pcs cycles [manufacturer rating]; final machine sizing is always verified against the primary FPC specification limits.

Q: Will the wrapping material mark or scratch the bright copper surface? A: No. When running mirror-finish or soft-annealed refrigeration tubing, a neutral packaging paper can be applied as the primary layer directly against the metal, with high-strength woven tape or stretch film applied over it to seal and bundle the package.

Q: Can the coil be weighed automatically in the same production line? A: Yes. An industrial electronic weighing table with digital load cells can be integrated directly into the conveyor bed of the FPC-300 system to capture gross and net weights without requiring off-line staging.

Q: What utilities are required on site? A: The standard requirement is a 380 V, 50/60 Hz, 3-phase electrical supply, accompanied by clean, dry factory compressed air at 5–8 kgf/cm² (approximately 0.5–0.8 MPa) for the pneumatic film clamps, cutters, and centering guides.

Next step

  1. Send your coil specifications (OD, ID, width, and weight range) to info@fhopepack.com.
  2. Our engineering team configures the correct model frame, packaging head kinematics, and material handling conveyors.
  3. Receive a comprehensive proposal and dimensional layout quotation within 24 hours.

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-10-19

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