Coil Turnstile Design: Slitting Line to Packing Line | FHOPE

Coil Turnstile Design: From Slitting Line to Packing Line

After slitting, a mother coil becomes a set of narrow coils on one mandrel. The turnstile (also called a cross arm) takes that set from the slitting line, holds it as a buffer and presents the coils one at a time to the automatic coil packing line. Its design determines whether the packing line can keep pace with the slitter.

The image shows cold-rolled slitted coils. The turnstile takes this set from the slitting line, holds it as a buffer and presents the coils one at a time to the packing line.

Our Turnstile Data

The Handoff: Turnstile to Down-Ender

The coil down-ender works together with the turnstile. It separates the coils on the arm, lifts one coil at a time and turns it 90° from eye-to-wall to eye-to-sky for horizontal packing.

Our horn-type down-ender, whose horn extends about 1800 mm into the coil bore, handles slit coils of 20–350 mm width with a 60 s cycle.

For heavy slitting lines, our heavy-duty turnstile carries up to 60 t, with 2 or 4 arms chosen to match the slitting line speed.

The image shows a vertical coil packaging line. The turnstile and down-ender hand off each coil at the correct orientation and spacing so this line can keep pace with the slitter.

Sizing the Turnstile for Your Slitter

Plan the turnstile around three numbers:

• Set weight: the total weight of one slit set must fit the per-arm load (10 t on our design).
• Total load: the loaded arms together must stay within the 40 t total load. One arm is loaded at the slitter while another is unloaded at the packing line.
• Down-ender cycle: at 20–30 s per coil, check the time to empty one arm against the slitting cycle.

The image shows coil packaging automation in a steel service center. Turnstile sizing starts from the real set weights and cycle times, not from a nominal position count.

Narrow Coils

Coils of around 15 mm are generally strapped manually. We do not radial-strap them first. Instead, the coil is taped, tilted 90°, and strapped through the eye with PP or PET strap (2, 3, 4 or 6 straps).

Alternatives to a Turnstile

• Coil car or coil trolley: on our economic vertical line, a coil trolley separates and feeds coils, and also serves as temporary storage.
• Crane loading: coils are lifted onto the trolley by crane.

Watch a coil car with turnstile for slitting coil line handling and packing:

The image shows a steel coil packaging process. The turnstile buffer and the down-ender handoff decide whether the full process keeps pace with the slitter.

FAQ

How much can each turnstile arm carry? Up to 10 t per arm (40 t total turnstile capacity).

How fast does it rotate? About 2 revolutions per minute, following the programmed recipe sequence.

How are coils unloaded from the turnstile to the packing line? The down-ender separates and picks one coil at a time, then tilts it 90° onto the PU-roller conveyor.

Can it run narrow coils? The down-ender takes coils from 15 mm wide; coils of around 15 mm are taped and then strapped manually.

Send us your slitting set weights and cycle times for a turnstile layout for your automatic coil packing line.