What are Coil Cradles?

Among the different coil handling equipment are coil cradles. Coil cradles are designed and manufactured to help unwind the coil materials in rough production environments. They are usually used with coil straighteners. Unlike coil reels, these equipment work best with narrow and thick materials.

What are the Features of Cradles?

Standard features of cradles include an expansion that is either wedge or link type, a machine that is manual or hydraulic, pillow block bearings, coil keeper arms, and loop controls with different speeds.

A pillow block bearing contains a mounting bracket that encases a bearing. It is commonly used in low-torque and light load applications. The pillow block is secured to a foundation, while its shaft and inner ring are able to rotate freely. These pillow blocks are usually made from gray cast iron. They also consist of two types: split or unsplit. The split pillow blocks enable the housing element to be separated from its base, while the unsplit pillow block is made to be a whole piece.

Optional equipment for coil cradles includes a clock-spring guard, a hydraulic threading system with a pre-bending roller and peeler wedge, an ultrasonic loop control, and cradle rollers with a separate three-phase motor.

An ultrasonic loop control is a type of loop control system that require minimal contact and use ultrasonic sound waves in order to sense the distance and to control the output of a straightener or of a decoiler.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Coil Cradles?

Cradle-type uncoilers have the advantage of easy and fast loading of coils. Coil cradles are usually used along with coil straighteners in order to have lower power requirements and maintenance. These cradles take a very short time to set up. They have a simple handling of high-tensile materials as well as a proper coil handling concept that makes it more efficient to rewind the unfinished coils.

durant coil cradle

Having a coil cradle/ straightener/ feeder combination requires a large floor space since it usually occupies approximately half the floor space of a conventional system that has an independent servo feed and straightener.

Disadvantages of using coil cradles include the possible difficulty of rewinding unused material. They are also not recommended for use with thin materials. Coil cradles are not designed for materials that are surface-sensitive since the coils are supported by rolls that have a large diameter, marking the material as it begins and ends.

They are also not designed for partial-coil operation. It is not safe for the operator to re-band the coil within the cradle.

Uses and Applications

If your industry or company makes use of jobs that need a higher degree of straightening and heavy material, a straightener/feeder combination system with a coil cradle would be the best choice. This type of machine allows the coil’s outer diameter to support the thick and high-yield material. This procedure minimizes the risk of losing control of the coil.

The next section features manufacturers of coil cradles. Readers may check the website of manufacturers and check available new or used coil cradles for sale.

Manufacturers of Coil Cradles

GSW

CA-Series Coil Cradles

CA series coil cradles

Model CA 160-800
Material Width Max 160 – 800 mm
Coil Weight Max 2500 – 6000 mm
Material Thickness From 0 – 8 mm
Other Coil Weights On request
Outer Coil Diameter Max 1250 – 2000 mm

CA-VR-Series Coil Cradles

CA VR Series

Model CA-VR 40
Number of Straightening Rolls 40 mm
Material Width Up to 50 – 320 mm
Material Thickness 0, 8 – 3, 0 mm
Straightening Cross Section Max 160 x 2, 6 – 329 x 2, 1 mm^2

Rowe

Rowe Coil Cradle

Coil Outer Diameter 54”
Lb / in. Width 500 – 600
Stock Gauge 14
Decimal Thickness .075”
Sources:

http://feedlease.com/products/product/coil-handling-equipment/cradles

http://chsautomation.com/en-us/products/coilcradles.aspx

http://www.cwpcoil.com/pdf/getahandle.pdf