Plastic spool specialist Häfner & Krullmann has further developed its process reel MW600 for unwinding enamelled copper wires on under roller systems, as used in the automotive supply industry. Thanks to the ribless flange edge geometry, the process reel MW600-HD withstands loads better during unwinding and can therefore complete more usage cycles.
In the production of electric motors, rectangular enamelled copper wire profiles are used to manufacture U-pins and I-pins for the motor winding. In addition to product quality, the main requirement for wire producers is to supply wires in such a way that they can be processed reliably in production. This is where an often-inconspicuous product comes into play, one that makes a decisive contribution to the wire’s processability: the spool on which the wires are wound, stored, transported and finally unwound again.
Unwinding via Under Roller System
In some production facilities, the spool is not mounted for unwinding via the central bore. Instead, the spool is placed on an under-roller system. In some rack variants, the flange edges rest with only four contact points on two metal rollers that drive the unwinding movement. At these contact points, a high load is placed on the spools, which promotes greater wear of the material. In addition, the load can cause individual plastic particles to detach from the spools and contaminate the work area, where high cleanliness standards usually apply.
MW600-HD: Innovative Rib Structure Relieves Flange Edges
The solution is a new rib geometry on the flange edges of the previous process reel MW600, developed by plastic spool specialist Häfner & Krullmann. The flange edge of the process reel MW600-HD is ribless, i.e. the ribs extending from the centre of the flange do not reach all the way to the flange edge. This allows the edge to deform elastically under heavy loads, so that stress peaks are lower and the applied force is distributed more evenly. Particles detach much later under continuous load. Like all Häfner spools, the MW600-HD is also characterised by a low axial runout of the flanges and a low radial runout of the barrel.
This modified rib geometry enables higher usage cycles than previous spools with conventional flange edges. This allows wire producers to use the process reels more sustainably and economically.
Increase the Service Life of the Spool
In principle, Häfner & Krullmann recommends using the central bore for winding and unwinding the spool. However, where under roller systems are already in use, the process reel MW600-HD with a ribless flange edge enables higher usage cycles, a reduction in costs, and the avoidance of quality problems caused by a contaminated production environment.
The process reel MW600-HD at a glance:
- Flange diameter d1: 600 mm
- Barrel diameter d2: 400 mm
- Width L1: 341 mm
- Winding width L2: 280 mm
