Controlling the uncoiling process is probably the most important wire or flat-stock handling challenge industrial processors face.
If industrial processors don’t control the uncoiling process, they could end up fighting tangles, overruns, twists and/or damaged materials. This then creates a domino effect–team members must take the time to straighten the mess, bad parts must be thrown out and deadlines and shipping dates get missed. The end result can be lost time and profits.
In addition, without the proper safety measures in place during the uncoiling process, the processor can be putting team members in a dangerous situation.
Let’s take a closer look at the process, as well how EnSight can help.
What is “Uncoiling”?
Uncoiling is the process of straightening out coiled materials for further processing. The process is especially beneficial to processors seeking higher volume output and productivity because uncoiling machines are more efficient, quicker and safer than hand-feeding the material to the press. In addition, an uncoiler is a great first step for organizations looking to automate their processes.
Uncoiling vs. Straightening
Coiled material often experiences coil set, where the material holds a natural curving form even after it’s uncoiled. Straightening is the process by which organizations remove that coil set, and it occurs after uncoiling.
The thickness of the material, the material itself and the product the organization is making will determine whether an organization needs to include straightening as part the process. For example, a material that is only a few thousandths of an inch thick may not require straightening because it’s thin enough to not keep the memory of the coil. You can learn more about the straightening process in our article calledThe Fundamentals of Metal Straightening.
Uncoilers
EnSight offers a variety ofuncoiling solutions帮助组织支付材料。我们的阵容includes traditional payout reels, pallet uncoilers, upenders and lever lifts. Each machine is designed for a specific purpose. Payout reels are great for thicker, heavier materials. Pallet uncoilers are perfect for, you guessed it, coils that come on a pallet or top hat, e.g., wire.Upenderswon’t uncoil materials, but they’re a safe, convenient way to reorient the eye of a coil so it can be put on a reel. And lever lifts are designed specifically for spooled materials.
Choosing the right one, and working with theOEMto scale it to a processor’s particular coil needs, is imperative to ensure the organization is properly and safely controlling the uncoiling process.
Safety Concerns
Coils are often heavy. At EnSight, our customers often use coils that weigh anywhere from 2,500 lbs. to 10,000 lbs. Less commonly, we’ve even worked with processors who use coils weighing a much as 40,000 lbs. The equipment required to handle these massive coils must be durable and strong enough to provide the peace of mind knowing the uncoiling machine can handle the load safely. An equipment failure can carry very dangerous consequences.
In addition, the devices need to provide the right safety features to ensure that when a team member cuts the band on a coil to load it, they can do so with peace of mind knowing that coil isn’t going to cause some sort of injury, or even death, when its loosed. At EnSight, we take the safety of our customers’ team members very seriously, and strive to ensure that our machines are designed and built with the leading safety measures. This helps us not only assure our customers they’re getting high-quality processing equipment, but that their own employees will be able to safely use the machines in their processes.
Past Experiences
EnSight worked with a customer who, at the time, was running a payout reel built by a different OEM. The floor manager contacted us to discuss some safety concerns with the uncoiling process. The manager told us their team was concerned about the loaded material coming back and hitting them due to the unreliability of the payout reel. The EnSight team probed the issue further to learn more about these issues, ultimately determining a way to retrofit the processor’s current reel with our own safety devices. It resulted in a safer payout experience for the operators.
Customers often tell the EnSight team that our team tends to dig deeper and ask more questions than other OEMs. We’ve even been asked why our competitors do the same level of research. We can’t answer the latter, but in regard to the former, we don’t want to just provide our machines–we want to help them integrate solutions that will help them for years to come. That includes understanding what our customers face each day and designing an industrial processing machine that accomplishes the tasks safely and reliably for years to come.
Not sure if an uncoiling solution is right for your organization? The EnSight sales consultants can help! The first thing they will do is work to understand your process from start to finish. While many customers contact us to simply order a machine from the website, we strive to understand our customers’ needs and application to cater the machine to their needs. This helps ensure they’re not getting any machine that will suffice, but rather a solid industrial processing solution they can depend on for a long time.
Ready to learn more about how EnSight can help you untangle the uncoiling process?Contact our industrial processing specialistsnow!
