Automatic NRC Spiral Perforated Tube Making Machine

What is a Spiral Paper Tube Making Machine?

It is an industrial machine that manufactures paper tubes and cores by winding multiple layers of paper (kraft, recycled, specialty papers) in a spiral pattern around a rotating mandrel, using adhesive to bond the layers. This method creates strong, durable, and dimensionally stable cylindrical products.

Key Advantages of the Spiral Winding Process:

• High Strength: The cross-grain spiral structure provides excellent crush resistance and torsional strength.

• Flexibility in Dimensions: Can produce very long tubes (cut to any length) and a wide range of diameters from a few mm to over 500 mm.

• Material Flexibility: Can use various paper grades, laminated papers, or composite materials (e.g., paper with foil or plastic layers).

• Seamless Structure: The spiral overlap creates a consistent wall thickness without a straight seam vulnerability.

How It Works: The Production Process

A typical spiral tube machine operates in a continuous process:

1. Unwinding: Multiple rolls of paper (slitting rolls) are mounted on a creel stand. The number of plies determines the tube wall thickness.

2. Gluing: Each paper web passes through a precision gluing unit, applying a controlled amount of adhesive (PVA, hot melt, etc.) to one side.

3. Spiral Winding: The glued paper strips are fed onto a rotating, fixed-diameter mandrel. The angle of the feed determines the winding angle (typically 15-30°). The paper wraps around the mandrel, bonding layer upon layer.

4. Forming & Drying: The wound tube travels along the length of the mandrel. Heaters (IR or hot air) or air drying partially cures the adhesive to set the shape.

5. Cutting: A traveling rotary saw or cut-off system cuts the continuous tube into pre-set lengths.

6. Ejection & Stacking: Finished tubes are ejected, automatically stacked, and bundled for shipment.

Types of Machines

• Semi-Automatic Machines: Require more manual intervention for loading paper, changing mandrels, and removing finished tubes. Suitable for lower-volume or multi-diameter production.

• Fully Automatic Machines: High-speed, computer-controlled systems with automatic roll splicing, CNC cutting, and robotic handling. Designed for large-scale, single-diameter production.

• Specialized Machines: Designed for specific products like edgeboard (paper protection for pallets), latex spiral tubes (for concrete columns), or composite tubes (paper + other materials).

Common Applications of Spiral Paper Tubes

• Industrial Cores: For winding textiles, films, foil, laminates, paper, and adhesive tapes.

• Packaging: Heavy-duty mailing tubes, poster tubes, packaging for carpets, and protective edgeboard.

• Construction: Sonotubes® for concrete columns, forms for piers.

• Specialty Products: Cores for capacitors, electrical insulation tubes, fireworks tubes, and furniture legs.