Packaging Equipment: Operation and Applications

Executive summary

For long products such as steel tubes, bars and profiles, the core packaging equipment is a horizontal orbital stretch wrapper. The bundle runs on a roller conveyor through a turning ring that lays a spiral of film along its length. Our E400 wraps bundles 100–400 mm across, over 1,200 mm long and 15–100 kg, with the ring at 20–90 r/min and conveyors at 6–12 m/min.

On this wrapper round steel tubes run along a long blue roller conveyor and through a large ring mounted in a blue frame. Yellow polyurethane wheels guide the ring as it turns and lays film on the tubes. An air compressor beside the machine supplies the pneumatic devices.

Table of Contents

Operation step by step

  1. Feed. Tubes or a bundle are placed on the infeed conveyor, by hand, crane or from an upstream line.
  2. Detect. A photocell picks up the front end of the bundle and starts the wrap at the set position.
  3. Wrap. The ring turns round the bundle while the conveyor moves it forward. The ratio of conveyor speed to ring speed sets the overlap, which the control allows from 10% to 90%.
  4. Finish. At the tail the ring stops at its reset position. With the automatic cutter and feeder option, the film is cut and clamped for the next bundle without an operator.
  5. Discharge. The outfeed conveyor carries the wrapped bundle away for strapping, stacking or loading.

Main parts of the wrapper

  • Ring and drive. The ring is driven by polyurethane friction drive wheels (double rub-wheel drive) with adjustable friction; its speed is set by inverter, with soft start.
  • Film system. Film tension is adjustable, and the material frame takes PE film, paper, PP or woven material on rolls of 100–200 mm width, 100–200 mm OD and 50 or 76 mm core.
  • Conveyors. Motor and gear box driven infeed and outfeed conveyors, each 2,000 mm as standard, with inverter speed control and soft contact to protect the product surface. A 6 m bundle overhangs a 2,000 mm conveyor, so longer powered conveyors or extra support roller tables are added for long products, confirmed at quote.
  • Control. PLC with photocell positioning and alarms that show faults.
  • Installation. The machine stands on flat, hard ground rated over 1 ton/m².

Applications

Product Why it is wrapped Points to check
Steel tubes and pipes Rust protection, bundle holding Bundle weight per metre
Bars and rods Surface protection, bundle holding Small diameter, stiffness
Aluminium profiles Scratch protection Soft contact on conveyors
Plastic pipes Dust and UV protection Light, flexible bundles
Panels and boards Edge and face protection Flat section diagonal

E400 specifications

Item E400
Bundle OD 100–400 mm
Bundle length over 1,200 mm
Bundle weight 15–100 kg
Conveyors 2,000 mm in and out, motor driven
Conveyor speed 6–12 m/min
Ring speed 20–90 r/min
Overlap 10%–90%
Power about 2.5 kW, 380 V 3PH 60 Hz
Options automatic cutter and feeder

For bundles from 200–600 mm and up to 200 kg, our E600 adds press-down devices that hold the bundle during wrapping.

Worked example: 6 m tube bundle

Take seven steel tubes of Ø40 × 2 mm and 6,000 mm, packed as a hexagonal bundle, wrapped with 150 mm film at 50% overlap.

Step Calculation Result
Tube section π/4 × (0.04² − 0.036²) 0.000239 m²
Weight per metre 0.000239 × 7,850 1.87 kg/m
One tube 1.87 × 6 11.2 kg
Bundle 7 × 11.2 about 79 kg (inside 15–100 kg)
Bundle diameter 3 × 40 120 mm (inside 100–400 mm)
Advance per ring turn 150 × (1 − 50%) 75 mm
Turns 6,000 ÷ 75 80
Fastest conveyor at this overlap 90 × 75 6.75 m/min
Wrap time 6 ÷ 6.75 0.89 min, about 53 s
Film per turn π × 40 + 6 × 40 about 366 mm
Film laid 80 × 0.37 about 29.6 m (before pre-stretch)

Result. The bundle fits the E400 and wraps in about 53 s.

Overlap limit. At the slowest conveyor speed of 6 m/min and the fastest ring speed of 90 r/min, the advance per turn is 6,000 ÷ 90 = about 67 mm. With 150 mm film that is a maximum overlap of 1 − 67 ÷ 150 = about 56%; with 200 mm film, about 67%. Overlaps toward the top of the 10%–90% setting range need slower travel than continuous conveying gives, for example reinforcing turns while the bundle is held, and are confirmed at quote.

The same bundle made of Ø60 × 3 mm tubes weighs 4.22 kg/m per tube, about 177 kg in total, which is over the E400 limit; a heavier conveyor build is then confirmed at quote.

Selection checklist

  1. Product type, section and length.
  2. Bundle weight per metre and in total.
  3. Film type and overlap.
  4. Bundles per hour, and the line before and after the wrapper.
  5. Manual or automatic film cut.
  6. Air and power supply.

Safety: EN 415-10 and ISO 12100

The wrapper is built to EN 415-10, the safety requirements for packaging machines, with the risk assessment to ISO 12100:2010. The turning ring is the main hazard, so the ring area has a guardrail and the cycle stops on any alarm. Guarding and CE documents are agreed per project.

Engineering FAQ

Q: Do the tubes rotate? A: No. They move straight along the conveyor while the ring turns round them.

Q: What sets the overlap? A: The ratio of conveyor speed to ring speed, adjustable from 10% to 90%.

Q: What limits throughput? A: Usually the ring speed: at 50% overlap with 150 mm film the conveyor can run at most 6.75 m/min.

Q: Can it wrap single tubes? A: Yes, from 100 mm across on the E400; smaller items go to our E300.

Next step

  1. Send your product, bundle size and weight to info@fhopepack.com.
  2. We match the ring size, conveyors and film system.
  3. We reply within 24 hours with a proposal and quotation.

Sources

  • FHOPE product pages: E400 and E600 horizontal stretch wrappers
  • EN 415-10; ISO 12100:2010
  • Our orbital tube wrapper shown above

Last reviewed: 2026-10-19

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