Executive summary This slit coil packing line takes a full slitting cut: an upender tips the whole pack of slit coils from eye-horizontal to flat, then the coils travel on roller conveyors through strapping and wrapping stations. Instead of quoting a fixed percentage, we count the saving from the manual jobs the line removes on your floor.
Table of Contents
- What the machine does
- Manual jobs the line removes
- Counting the saving
- What we set per line
- Selection checklist
- Safety
- Engineering FAQ
- Next step
- Related reading
- Sources
What the machine does
An automated slit coil packaging line replaces disconnected crane handling with a continuous mechanical sequence. The system takes the slit pack directly from the slitter turnstile, reorients the batch, separates the individual bands, and processes each unit through tensioned strapping, orbital wrapping, and robotic or mechanical palletizing.
| Station | Function | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Integrated master PLC panel running cell synchronization, safety interlocks, and recipe management | Siemens S7-1200 or S7-1500F failsafe architecture; centralized touchscreen HMI |
| Upending | Heavy-duty tilter tilts the full batch of slit coils from eye-horizontal to eye-vertical (flat) in one cycle | Standard hydraulic or mechanical drives; cycle speed 50–90 s/cycle; load capacity configurations from 3,000 kg up to 10,000 kg (expandable for wide master packs) |
| Conveying | Heavy-duty motorized roller conveyors and indexing tables transport separated coils between inline cells | Roller systems with centering stops; handles individual slit coil weights from 30 kg to 4,000 kg |
| Strapping and wrapping | Automated heads tension, seal, and protect the steel coil through the eye | Automatic radial PET/steel strapping at 15–38 s/strap; high-speed orbital shuttle wrapping stretch film or composite paper through the core |
| Stacking | Mechanical or robotic stacker builds finished coils onto pallets [manufacturer rating] | Centering indexer; serves multi-station turntables or discharge roller tracks |
Station figures below are product-page capability figures [manufacturer rating], confirmed per line. The line runs from one control point; coils move between stations without overhead crane handling.
Manual jobs the line removes
Each manual job below is assigned to a dedicated station on the line:
| Manual job | Station that takes it over |
|---|---|
| Separating coils by crane | Upender and conveyor |
| Hand strapping | Strapping head |
| Hand wrapping through the eye | Orbital wrapper |
| Crane or forklift stacking | Stacker |
Counting the saving
Labor savings vary depending on existing shift headcount, crane availability, and slitting volume. To determine actual cost reduction, we track the specific manual posts removed across the shift rather than applying generic industry assumptions.
Worked example (illustrative).
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Manual crew per shift (illustrative) | 5 people |
| Crew with the line (illustrative) | 2 people |
| People saved per shift, 5 − 2 | 3 |
| Share of the crew saved, 3 ÷ 5 | 60% in this example |
| Shift length (illustrative) | 8 h |
| Hours saved per shift, 3 × 8 | 24 h |
Your own figure depends on your crew today; we work it out with you from the layout. In this example the line recovers 24 labour hours per shift.
What we set per line
Four settings are configured per line; the ranges below are product-page capability figures [manufacturer rating]:
| Setting | Depends on | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upender | Pack weight and width | Payload 3,000–10,000 kg (custom ratings up to 25,000 kg); 50–90 s per cycle |
| Strapping | Straps per coil | 15–38 s/strap; automatic 3/4/6 strapping on the PET strapper |
| Wrapping | Film layers | 20–40 coils/h throughput; coil ID 300/508/610 mm; coil OD 500–1,500 mm (expandable to 2,100 mm) |
| Stacking | Stack pattern | Mechanical or magnetic stacker; pattern confirmed in the layout |
Selection checklist
Verify the following before requesting a quotation:
- Coil OD, ID, width and weight.
- Coils per slitting cut.
- Straps per coil.
- Film layers.
- Stack pattern and pallet size.
- Coils per hour.
Safety
Operating high-tonnage steel handling machinery requires multi-layered safety perimeters to separate operators from automatic kinematic mechanisms:
- Keep clear of the upender, strapping head and wrapping ring while they move.
- Stay outside the fenced stacking area.
- Lock out before clearing a jam.
- For CE markets, the machine is designed to ISO 12100 and EN 415-10.
Engineering FAQ
Q: Where does the labour saving come from? A: From the manual jobs the line removes: crane separation, hand strapping, hand wrapping and stacking. Moving these stages onto powered conveyors and automated stations consolidates cell supervision to a single control post.
Q: Is the saving always 60%? A: No. 60% is the result in our worked example; your figure depends on your crew today, your daily slitting volume, and whether you operate single or multi-shift rotations.
Q: Why upend the whole cut? A: So the coils are separated and laid flat in one move, without the crane. Upending the complete batch at the slitter discharge preserves the tight edge alignment of the cut pack and eliminates hazardous individual manual rigging.
Q: How many people run the line? A: 2 per shift in the worked example; it depends on stations.
Q: Can we start with fewer stations? A: Yes, and add stations later. Many plants begin with an upender, powered roller conveyors, and an automatic strapping or wrapping station, then integrate automated coil turnstiles and robotic palletizing stackers as slitting capacity expands.
Q: Which standards apply? A: For CE markets, ISO 12100:2010 and EN 415-10:2014 govern basic safety evaluation, guarding distances, electrical interlocks, and mechanical integration across the complete line.
Next step
We match a slit coil packing line in three steps:
- Submit your layout drawing with coil sizes, coils per cut and current crew, to info@fhopepack.com.
- Receive a proposal within 48 hours with the machine data and layout.
- Book a site survey so we confirm the slitter exit.
Related reading
- Coil Packing Line Stations From Strapping to Stacking
- Steel Coil Packaging Line: Five ROI Metrics
- Slit Coil Upending, Wrapping and Stacking Line With Buffers
- Slit coil packing line
Sources
- Machine content: FHOPE engineering team, 2026-10-10
- Labour saving: our worked example, illustrative values
- Standards scope: ISO 12100:2010; EN 415-10:2014
- Proposal timing: approved house CTA (proposal within 48 hours)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-29
