Executive summary This 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 machine does, in order
- Rewinding: length counting and coil shape
- Strapping the coil before film
- Film sealing and shrink tunnel
- Sizing the line for your cable
- Selection checklist for a cable coiling and shrink line
- Controls and safety
- Engineering FAQ
- Next step
- Related reading
- Sources
What the machine does, in order
The line moves one coil from the supply pay-off to the discharge pallet through six sequential stations:
| Station | What happens |
|---|---|
| Rewinder | Cable from the supply reel winds onto a mandrel between two flange plates until the set length is reached |
| Strapping | The coil moves under a strapping arch and is held by locating pins while straps go around the coil section |
| Transfer | The strapped coil advances along the powered roller conveyor toward the film sealing unit |
| Film sealer | A heated blade seals and cuts the film cleanly around the coil; the HMI provides precise blade-temperature control |
| Shrink tunnel | The sealed coil passes through the tunnel, where heat pulls the film tight |
| Finished coils | Shrink-packed coils wait on a pallet, labelled with length and cross-section |
One person handles the finished coils at the tunnel exit; coiling, strapping, sealing and shrinking run without hand work.
Rewinding: length counting and coil shape
The rewinder governs two core parameters simultaneously: package length and geometric integrity.
- 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. The set length here 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 engineering calculations and sizing verification:
Cable volume (cm³) ≈ length (m) × 100 × cable cross-section (cm²), calculated using the overall cable outside diameter including insulation and jacket, not the bare conductor size.
Coil envelope volume (cm³) = 3.14 × (OD² − ID²) ÷ 4 × height, all dimensions in cm, multiplied by a packing factor below 1.0 to account for physical interstitial air gaps between round cable layers.
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 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 provides 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 critical process windows govern packaging quality:
- Blade heat and seal time. Too cold and the seam opens; too hot and the film burns through.
- 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 baseline cable winding and strapping platform provides standard processing limits for lighter industrial conductors (sharing structural kinematics with our hose coiling and strapping machine):
| 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 |
This build runs heavier cable: the coil 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.
Production throughput is governed by the bottleneck principle:
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. This build runs 50 m coils.
Q: Can the standard machine take 35 mm² cable? A: No. Standard machine envelopes handle 1.5–6 mm overall finished cable diameter. A 35 mm² conductor has a bare metal diameter of approximately 6.7 mm before insulation and outer jacket are added. Processing this cable size requires a line with larger mandrels, heavier flange plates, reinforced drive motors, and a larger 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: Line output is constrained by the slowest station: Coils per hour = 3600 ÷ cycle time in seconds of the bottleneck station. On short-length coils, the thermal sealing blade dwell or the shrink tunnel heating duration typically dictates overall line throughput.
Q: How many operators does the line need? A: One person moves finished coils from the tunnel exit to the pallet. Rewinding, strapping, sealing and shrinking run automatically.
Next step
We engineer custom cable coiling, strapping, and heat-shrink packaging systems via a three-phase project flow:
- Submit your packaging requirements including overall cable diameter range, finished coil ID/OD/height dimensions, coil lengths, and target hourly output to info@fhopepack.com.
- Receive a proposal within 48 hours, including the rewinder, strapping, sealing and shrink stations and the cycle per station.
- Book a site survey so we confirm the supply-reel position, the line direction and space for the finished-coil pallets.
Related reading
- Automatic Cable Wire Coiling, Strapping and Shrink Packaging Machine
- Automatic Wire Coil Rewinding and Tying Machine
- Online Cable Coil Wrapping and Boxing Machine
- Cable winding and strapping machine
Sources
- Standard machine range (ID, OD, height, cable diameter, meter counter, air): Cable winding and strapping machine
- Packaging machine safety requirements: ISO 12100:2010; EN 415-10:2014
- Proposal timing: approved house CTA (proposal within 48 hours)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-29