coilfed

Coil-fed refers to manufacturing processes in which the raw material is supplied in coil form and fed into the processing equipment in a controlled manner. The coil is mounted on a decoiler, unwound and leveled, and then fed to the main machine through a straightener or feed system. This approach enables long, continuous runs and reduces material handling compared with processes that start from discrete blanks or bars.

Materials commonly processed in coil-fed lines include metals such as steel, aluminum, and copper, as well as plastic films and laminates used in relevant applications. Coil-fed configurations are widely used in metal stamping, punching, laser cutting, shearing, and certain bending lines, as well as in some continuous coating or welding operations.

The coil-fed workflow relies on tension control, material straightening, and precise feed registration. Modern systems use servo-driven decoilers, accumulator loops to absorb variations in feed, and sensors to monitor thickness, speed, and alignment. Integrated controls synchronize coil motion with downstream tooling to maintain throughput and part quality.

Advantages of coil-fed production include high throughputs from continuous input, reduced manual handling, and shortened setup times for long production runs. Limitations include higher capital costs, sensitivity to coil quality and dimensions, and increased complexity in tension control to prevent wrinkling, buckling, or misfeeds.

See also: decoiler, straightener, uncoiler, coil winding.