Cable Coil Rewinding, Strapping and Shrink Packing Line: From Reel to Sealed 50 m Coil

Executive summary In this 118 s clip our line rewinds heavy building cable into coils, straps each coil, seals it in film and shrinks the film in a tunnel. The finished coils carry a 50 m length label. We size a line like this from four inputs: cable diameter, coil length, coil OD and ID, and coils per hour. The strapping and shrink stations follow from those.

Table of Contents

What the clip shows, in order

The recording runs 118 s and follows one coil from the winder to the pallet. Times are read from the clip.

Clip time Station What happens
5–30 s Rewinder Cable from the supply reel winds onto a mandrel between two orange flange plates until the set length is reached.
35–50 s Strapping The coil moves under a strapping arch and is held by locating pins while straps go around the coil section.
55–65 s Transfer The strapped coil runs along a green conveyor towards the sealer.
70–80 s Film sealer The coil enters a blue sealing station; the HMI shows the sealing-blade heat control.
85–100 s Shrink tunnel The sealed coil passes through the tunnel; an operator lifts it off the exit table.
110–118 s Finished coils Shrink-packed coils wait on a pallet; the label on a coil reads 50 m and 35 mm².

One person handles the finished coils. Coiling, strapping, sealing and shrinking run without hand work.

Rewinding: length counting and coil shape

The rewinder makes two things right at once: the length and the shape.

  • Length. A meter counter measures the cable as it winds. When the set length is reached the line stops, cuts and starts the next coil. In the clip the set length is 50 m.
  • Shape. The flange plates fix the coil height; the mandrel fixes the ID. The OD then follows from cable diameter and length.

For a quick check of coil size:

Cable volume (cm³) ≈ length (m) × 100 × cable cross-section (cm²), using the overall cable diameter, not the conductor size.

Coil volume (cm³) = 3.14 × (OD² − ID²) ÷ 4 × height, all in cm, multiplied by a packing factor below 1 because round cables leave gaps.

We use these to set the mandrel and flange spacing so the OD stays inside the strapping arch and the sealer.

Strapping the coil before film

The coil must hold its shape once it leaves the mandrel. Straps go around the coil section at several points around the ring, so the laps cannot spring open on the conveyor or in the sealer.

The strapping arch in the clip works on the flat coil, with locating pins keeping it centred. Strap count depends on coil OD and cable stiffness: a stiff, heavy cable needs more holding points than a thin flexible one. We set the count per product and store it in the coil program.

Film sealing and shrink tunnel

After strapping, the coil goes into a film sealing station. The HMI in the clip shows a blade-heat control: a heated blade seals and cuts the film around the coil. The coil then passes through a shrink tunnel, where heat pulls the film tight onto the coil.

Two settings decide the pack quality:

  1. Blade heat and seal time. Too cold and the seam opens; too hot and the film burns through.
  2. Tunnel heat and conveyor speed. They work as a pair. Too fast leaves loose film; too slow can wrinkle or scorch it.

Both are set per film type and coil size. A shrink pack keeps dust and moisture off the cable, holds the label flat, and stacks cleanly on a pallet.

Sizing the line for your cable

Our standard cable winding and strapping machine (the same principle as our hose coiling and strapping machine) is listed for lighter cable:

Item Standard machine
Coil ID 135–220 mm
Coil OD 180–400 mm
Coil height 80–130 mm
Single cable diameter 1.5–6 mm
Meter counter 0.01–200 m
Air supply 6 bar

The cable in this clip is heavier: the label reads 35 mm², a conductor about 6.7 mm across before insulation (√(4 × 35 ÷ 3.14)). So this build has a larger mandrel, flange plates and strapping arch than the standard table. That is typical of our projects. The machine is configured per cable range, and the motor, frame and station sizes change with it.

Output in coils per hour = 3600 ÷ seconds per coil at the slowest station. On short coils the rewinder is rarely the limit; the sealer or the tunnel often is.

Selection checklist for a cable coiling and shrink line

  • Overall cable diameter range and cable stiffness.
  • Coil length per pack, and the tolerance you need on it.
  • Coil ID, OD and height limits from your customers or packaging.
  • Strap type and number of straps per coil.
  • Film type for sealing and shrinking.
  • Coils per hour from your extrusion or supply-reel output.
  • Label content and position on the shrink pack.
  • Pallet pattern and who removes finished coils.

Controls and safety

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 emergency-stop arrangement.

The rotating mandrel, the strapping arch, the sealing blade and the hot tunnel are the hazards. The operator works only at the tunnel exit; reel changes and film changes are done with the line stopped.

Engineering FAQ

Q: How is coil length set? A: The operator enters the length; the meter counter measures cable as it winds and the line cuts at the set value. Our standard machine counts from 0.01 m to 200 m. The clip runs 50 m coils.

Q: Can the standard machine take 35 mm² cable? A: No. The standard table covers 1.5–6 mm overall cable diameter. 35 mm² is the conductor cross-section: the conductor alone is about 6.7 mm across before insulation. That cable gets a larger mandrel, flange plates and strapping arch.

Q: Why strap before shrink-wrapping? A: Straps hold the coil shape once it leaves the mandrel. The film then seals the coil; it is not meant to carry the spring force of the laps.

Q: What limits coils per hour? A: The slowest station. Coils per hour = 3600 ÷ its seconds per coil. On short lengths the sealer or tunnel usually limits output.

Q: How many operators does the line need? A: In the clip, one person moves finished coils from the tunnel exit to the pallet. Rewinding, strapping, sealing and shrinking run automatically.

Next step

We size a cable coiling, strapping and shrink line in three steps:

  1. Submit your layout drawing with the cable diameter range, coil length, coil ID, OD and height, and output target, to info@fhopepack.com.
  2. Receive a proposal within 48 hours, including the rewinder, strapping, sealing and shrink stations and the cycle per station.
  3. Book a site survey so we confirm the supply-reel position, the line direction and space for the finished-coil pallets.

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-10-06

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