Steel Pipe Bundling Line: Layering, Bundling and Strapping

Executive summary A steel pipe bundling line collects tubes from the mill, counts them into rows and stacks the rows into a tight bundle for strapping. The clip, about 378 s long, follows bright steel tubes along a green line, through an orange clamp, into a round bundle with straps. Our equivalent solution runs in automatic, semi-automatic or manual mode and stacks up to 5 bundles at the end.

Table of Contents

• What the clip shows, in order
• Cycle time on the clip
• How the bundling line works
• Bundling line features
• Takt check
• Selection checklist for a pipe bundling line
• Controls and safety
• Engineering FAQ
• Next step
• Related reading
• Sources

What the clip shows, in order

The line has a long teal-green frame with yellow rollers and geared motors. Bright silver steel tubes with thin walls run along it. An orange clamp head hangs above the bundling station, and red and blue air hoses feed it.

1. 0 to about 21 s. A wide view shows rows of tubes running on parallel roller tracks. A yellow overhead crane stands in the background.
2. About 28 to 42 s. The camera turns to the infeed station. A row of tubes is pushed in under the orange clamp unit.
3. About 49 to 98 s. Tubes gather on yellow rollers into a round bundle. The orange clamp hovers above the stack.
4. About 105 to 133 s. The orange clamp moves slowly across, above the stacked tubes.
5. About 140 to 161 s. The clamp moves over the tubes, lowers and grips a full row.
6. About 168 to 203 s. The clamp lifts and the tube row moves to the right into the next station.
7. About 210 to 231 s. Long tubes lie on yellow buffer rollers. Two people walk in the aisle beside the line, and a dark strap ring appears at the front of the bundle.
8. About 238 to 287 s. The orange arm presses down on the bundle, lifts and presses again while the strap tightens.
9. About 294 to 378 s. The arm rests high. Strapped bundles move slowly forward on the rollers, past a short empty section.

Cycle time on the clip

The times come from frames 7 s apart, and the camera moves between stations. They show the order of the steps, not a full bundle cycle.

How the bundling line works

Tubes arrive one at a time from the run-out roller conveyor. A rejection kicker sends faulty tubes to a waste collection. Good tubes are pushed to a storage area, where a striker plate sets the end position.

A kick-out device then moves the tubes one by one onto a layer forming chain. A photocell counts each kick. When the count is reached, the row is complete, and the counter resets for the next row. Rectangular tubes are detected and turned through 90 degrees.

On our equivalent solution, an electromagnetic chuck lifts each complete row onto the bundle forming bed. It does the job of the orange head seen on the clip. The forming device is adjusted to the bundle shape, and a stopper clamps the row tightly. Once the bundle is built, it shifts to the conveyor for strapping and an air blower dries it. The outfeed conveyor then carries it to a chain stacker for 5 bundles.

Bundling line features

We size the tube range, the bundle size and the strapping to each mill, so the line is quoted per project.

Takt check

For an illustrative mill output of 12 bundles per hour, the takt is 3,600 ÷ 12 = 300 s per bundle. On the clip, the press-down and strapping steps seen take about 49 s.

So strapping is not the limit at that rate, even with more than one strap per bundle, up to 6 straps at that time each. Each extra strap adds its own time, so we check the strap count first. The real limit is the time to count and stack enough rows. We check it against the number of tubes per bundle and the mill speed.

Selection checklist for a pipe bundling line

• Tube shapes: round, square or rectangular.
• Tube diameter, wall thickness and length range.
• Bundle shape and tubes per bundle.
• Strapping by hand or fully automatic, and the strap count.
• Mill output in tubes per minute, against the counting and stacking rate.
• Space for the outfeed conveyor and a stacker for 5 bundles.

Controls and safety

On the clip, two people walk in the aisle beside the line while tubes run and the arm presses on the bundle. Heavy tubes on rollers, the electromagnetic stacker and the clamp all move without warning, and people inside that reach are the move to design out. We fence the line, with gated access points.

Stop, isolate and lock out the station before anyone clears a tube, adjusts the forming device or changes a strap coil. Use the manual mode only for set-up, with the area cleared.

The standards that apply depend on the destination market. For CE markets, ISO 12100 sets the risk-assessment method, and EN 415-10 covers general requirements for packaging machines, which fixes guarding and the stop arrangement.

Engineering FAQ

Q: How does the line count the tubes in a row? A: A kick-out device moves the tubes one by one, and a photocell counts each kick until the set number is reached.

Q: Can the line handle rectangular tubes? A: Yes. Rectangular tubes are detected and turned through 90 degrees before layering.

Q: How many bundles can wait at the end of the line? A: The chain stacker holds 5 bundles before they are lifted away.

Next step

We size a steel pipe bundling line in three steps:

1. Submit your layout drawing with the tube sizes, lengths, bundle shape and mill output, to info@fhopepack.com.
2. Receive a proposal within 48 hours, with the station layout, the strapping plan and the cycle check.
3. Book a site survey so we confirm the run-out conveyor, the floor space and the fenced zones.

Related reading

• Automatic steel pipe bundle packing line
• Automatic packing line for steel tube bundles
• Steel tube bundle packing line: conveying, forming and clamping

Sources

• Line steps and features: steel pipe bundle packing line product page
• Clip timing: frame timings taken from the clip, 7 s between frames
• Machine in action: the video on YouTube
• Standards scope: ISO 12100:2010, EN 415-10:2014

Last reviewed: 2026-10-05