Executive summary This clip from our workshop shows our horizontal orbital wrapping machine wrapping long pipes. The pipes rest in V-shaped supports, travel through a turning ring, and the film lays on as a spiral along the bundle, with the operator fixing and trimming the film tail by hand. Our pipe version takes bundles 300–2,000 mm across and 2,000–8,000 mm long. Below we set out the cycle, the published data and a worked example for wrap time.
Table of Contents
- What the clip shows
- How a horizontal orbital wrapper wraps pipe
- Pipe orbital wrapper data
- Wrap time for one bundle
- Selection checklist
- Safety
- Engineering FAQ
- Next step
- Related reading
- Sources
What the clip shows
The clip is filmed in portrait close to the machine, from the infeed side.
| Step | What you see |
|---|---|
| Infeed | Long pipes rest in V-shaped supports on a roller line, with a yellow frame on each side of the ring |
| Wrapping | A white ring with the film roll turns round the pipes, and film builds up in a spiral as the pipes travel |
| Guiding | Yellow guide arms beside the ring keep the pipes centred as they pass through |
| Film start and end | An operator fixes the film tail by hand at the start and trims it at the end |
| Discharge | Wrapped pipes leave on the outfeed rollers |
The V-shaped supports matter for round stock: they hold the pipes in a stable group so the film does not roll the bundle while the ring turns.
How a horizontal orbital wrapper wraps pipe
- Ring turns, load travels. The ring carries the film round the pipes while the conveyor moves them through, so the film lays on as a spiral.
- Overlap. Ring speed and travel speed together set the overlap between turns, from light to heavy cover.
- Film tension. A film draw-back tension device keeps the film tight on small and large bundles.
- Wrap material. The same ring can carry PE stretch film, knit belt or VCI paper, depending on how the pipes travel.
Pipe orbital wrapper data
Our published data for the steel tube orbital wrapping machine:
| Item | Published value |
|---|---|
| Bundle OD | 300–2,000 mm |
| Pipe length | 2,000–8,000 mm |
| Bundle weight | 100–5,000 kg |
| Ring speed | 20–60 r/min |
| Wrapping speed | 2–12 m/min |
| Overlap | 20–90% |
| Wrap material | PE stretch film, knit belt, VCI paper |
| Power | 6.0 kW, AC 380 V 50/60 Hz or to order |
| Ring warranty | 5 years on the ring structure |
The machine is customised, so the ring size, supports and conveyor follow your pipe sizes and line layout.
Wrap time for one bundle
Worked example (illustrative). A 6,000 mm pipe bundle wrapped at 6 m/min takes 6,000 ÷ 6,000 = 1 minute of ring travel. At the 12 m/min top of the range the same bundle passes in about 30 s, and at 2 m/min it takes 3 minutes. Heavier overlap needs a slower travel speed, so the wrap time grows with the cover you choose.
Selection checklist
- Pipe OD, bundle section and bundle length.
- Bundle weight.
- Wrap material: stretch film, knit belt or VCI paper.
- Overlap and number of layers you need for transport.
- Bundles per hour and link to your bundling station, such as an orbital wrapper with V-shape roll feed.
- Manual or automatic film start and cut.
Safety
The turning ring is the main hazard, and in this clip the operator works close to it at film start and end. We guard the ring zone to the risk assessment and set the controls so the ring turns only when the operator is clear. For CE markets we apply ISO 12100:2010 for the risk assessment and EN 415-10:2014 for general packaging-machine requirements.
Engineering FAQ
Q: What size pipe bundles can the orbital wrapper take? A: Bundle OD 300–2,000 mm, pipe length 2,000–8,000 mm and weight 100–5,000 kg on our published range.
Q: How fast does it wrap? A: The ring turns at 20–60 r/min and the bundle travels at 2–12 m/min.
Q: Can I change the overlap? A: Yes, overlap is set from 20% to 90%.
Q: Why do the pipes sit in V-shaped supports? A: The V holds round pipes in a stable group so the film does not roll the bundle as the ring turns.
Q: What wrap materials can it use? A: PE stretch film, knit belt or VCI paper.
Q: How long does one bundle take? A: A 6 m bundle at 6 m/min passes the ring in about 1 minute.
Q: What power does it need? A: 6.0 kW at AC 380 V 50/60 Hz, or to your supply.
Q: What warranty covers the ring? A: The ring structure carries a 5-year warranty.
Q: Which standards apply? A: For CE markets, ISO 12100 and EN 415-10.
Next step
We size a horizontal orbital wrapping machine for pipes in three steps:
- Submit your layout drawing with pipe sizes, bundle section, length and weight, wrap material and bundles per hour, to info@fhopepack.com.
- Receive a proposal within 48 hours with the machine data and layout.
- Book a site survey so we confirm the floor space and conveyor links.
Related reading
- Orbital Stretch Wrapping Machine with V-Shape Roll Feed
- Economic Horizontal Orbital Stretch Wrapper for Pipe and Tube
- Steel Tube Bundle Strapping with Timber Blocks
- Steel tube orbital wrapping machine data
Sources
- Clip (our footage): the video on YouTube
- Bundle range, speeds, overlap, materials, power and ring warranty: Steel tube orbital wrapping machine data
- Wrap time: our worked arithmetic
- Standards scope: ISO 12100:2010; EN 415-10:2014
- Proposal timing: approved house CTA (proposal within 48 hours)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-10
