A bearing packing machine wraps a bearing through its bore and around its outer ring, so film, VCI or paper covers every face. The bearing turns on rollers while a ring passes through the bore. This guide explains why bearings are wrapped, how the ring wrapper works, which model suits which size range, how a real wrap is calculated, and what to confirm before ordering. It is written for plant and line engineers and procurement managers, and the key selection boundaries are the bearing OD − ID cross-section difference, the bore clearance margin, and the load mode.
Overview
Bearings are precision components. Moisture and dust in storage or during ocean freight cause rust spots on raceways that can scrap the part, so the wrap through the bore is not cosmetic — it protects the fit surfaces. The machine shown below wraps a bearing on drive rollers while a ring passes through the bore, laying film over every face in one cycle.
Why bearings are wrapped
A bearing is finished steel with precision raceways. Moisture and dust in storage or at sea cause rust spots that scrap it. A wrap through the bore seals every face, and a VCI film adds corrosion protection inside the pack.
Wrapping by hand is the usual alternative, and it has three costs:
- It is slow, and cycle time grows with bearing size.
- It uses more film than needed, because the operator cannot hold a consistent overlap.
- It leaves loose ends, which can catch in handling and open the pack.
A ring wrapper fixes all three: the overlap is set on the PLC, the film is cut cleanly at the end of the cycle, and every bearing is wrapped the same way.
How a bearing wrapping machine works
The operator sets a bearing upright on the drive rollers inside a yellow mesh guard, where a ring passes through the bore. The ring turns and lays film through the bore and around the outer ring, while the rollers turn the bearing slowly. When the bearing has made one full turn, the film is cut and the operator lifts the bearing out.
The FPBS-200 is made for easy manual loading and unloading, and its PLC calculates the material automatically — the operator does not count turns or set overlap by hand.
Machine Model Comparison and Capacity Ranges
The range runs from the FPBS-200 for bearings of 120–270 mm bore and up to 70 kg, to the FPB-400 for bearings up to 1,200 mm OD and 500 kg.
| Item | FPBS-200 | FPB-200 | FPB-300 | FPB-400 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearing ID | 120–270 mm | 300–600 mm | 300–900 mm | 300–800 mm |
| Bearing OD | OD − ID under 190 mm | 700–1,000 mm | 600–1,200 mm | 500–1,200 mm |
| Bearing width | 40–130 mm | 20–200 mm | 20–300 mm | 100–400 mm |
| Bearing weight | 5–70 kg | 20–200 kg | 10–500 kg | 100–500 kg |
| Wrapping time | 20–35 s | 35–45 s | 40–50 s | 30–50 s |
| Ring speed | max. 100 r/min | – | 30–70 r/min | 30–70 r/min |
| Overlap | – | 20–80% | 20–80% | 20–90% |
| Power | confirmed at quote | 1.5 kW | 2.5 kW | 2.5 kW |
| Supply | 380 V, 50 Hz | AC 380 V, 50 Hz, or to order | AC 380 V, 50 Hz, or to order | AC 380 V, 50 Hz, or to order |
| Material | PVC / VCI film, 40 mm wide, roll OD 60–100 mm | goffered paper, PE, stretch film, knit belt, PVC | same | same |
For slewing and wind turbine bearings of 2,900–5,000 mm OD we build the FPCA-6000, which lays the bearing flat.
Material on the ring or beside the machine
Orbital bearing wrapping machines use two primary film-dispenser architectures:
- Material on the ring. For small bearings, the material roll sits on the ring and turns with it. This is light and compact, and the roll is narrow — about 40 mm wide.
- Material beside the machine. For larger bearings, the roll stands next to the machine and feeds the ring, so bigger rolls and wider material can be used.
A 40 mm VCI film roll suits the on-ring version; wider paper or stretch film suits the feed-from-beside version.
Worked example: a 22228-size bearing
Illustrative bearing of 22228 size: bore 140 mm, OD 250 mm, width 68 mm, wrapped in 40 mm VCI film at 50% overlap.
| Check | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| OD − ID | 250 − 140 | 110 mm, under 190 mm |
| Bore and width | 140 mm, 68 mm | inside 120–270 mm and 40–130 mm |
| Wraps at the OD | π × 250 ÷ 20 | ≈ 39 |
| Ring time at 100 r/min | 39 ÷ 100 × 60 | ≈ 24 s |
| Film path per wrap | 2 × (68 + 55) mm | 0.25 m |
| Film per bearing | 39 × 0.25 m | ≈ 9.7 m |
| Layers at the bore | 39 × 40 mm ÷ (π × 140 mm) | ≈ 3.6 |
Result. The bearing suits the FPBS-200, and 39 wraps take about 24 s, inside the 20–35 s range. Each bearing uses about 9.7 m of 40 mm film. The bore — the precision fit surface for the shaft — gets about three and a half layers, more than the outside, because the bore circumference is much smaller.
This is the arithmetic worth repeating with your own numbers: check OD − ID against the model limit, confirm bore and width fall inside the range, then estimate wraps, cycle time and film length per bearing. The film figure feeds directly into your packaging cost per piece.
Selection checklist
Before requesting a quotation, gather:
- Bearing bore, OD, width and weight — largest and smallest.
- Material: VCI film, stretch film, goffered paper, knit belt.
- Bearings per hour.
- Manual loading, or online with conveyors.
- One machine or two for a wide size range: with OD/ID extremes far apart, weigh split or twin machines — inner-diameter pass-through vs small-bearing line speed.
- Voltage.
- Send bearing sizes, weights and output to info@fhopepack.com.
- We agree on the model and material in a technical confirmation.
- We reply with a proposal after we confirm the details.
- Bearing wrapping machine FPBS-200 (product)
- Bearing packing machine FPB-400 (product)
- Large size bearing packaging machine
- Big bearing packing machine by VCI film
- Automatic bearing packaging machine
- FHOPE product pages: FPBS-200, FPB-200, FPB-300, FPB-400 and big size bearing packing machine
- FHOPE project notes on material-on-ring and material-beside-machine versions
- Embedded video demonstration of orbital ring wrapper operation
- Worked example: illustrative figures for a 22228-size bearing
- Standards: EN 415-10; ISO 12100:2010
The last point matters for buyers outside the default markets: supply is 380 V, 50 Hz as standard, or to order on the FPB models, and the FPBS-200 power figure is confirmed at quote.
Safety: EN 415-10 and ISO 12100
The ring wrapper is designed with EN 415-10 as its reference standard — the European standard for packaging machine safety — and its risk assessment follows ISO 12100’s method for risk assessment and reduction. Both remain design references; certification of a delivered machine is confirmed in the project ordering agreement.
The turning ring and drive rollers are the hazards. A mesh guard surrounds the ring. The bearing is placed and removed with the ring stopped, and side guide rollers hold it upright while it turns, so nobody needs to steady it by hand. Who supplies the guarding and the CE paperwork is set out in the contract — confirm this at quotation stage so responsibilities are clear before shipment.
Engineering FAQ
Q: Can one machine cover all our bearing sizes?
A: Within one model’s range, yes. A wide range often needs two models, small and large.
Q: Can it use VCI film?
A: Yes, PVC or VCI film on the FPBS-200; paper, PE, stretch film or knit belt on the FPB models.
Q: Can it run online?
A: The FPB models can link to the bearing line with conveyors and automatic positioning.
Q: Which standard do you design to?
A: EN 415-10, the packaging machine safety standard, with the risk assessment to ISO 12100.
Next step
If your range spans small and large bearings, send both ends — the one-or-two machine choice depends on the extremes, not the average.
