Used Motorized Reels / Uncoilers for Sale • Press Feedline Automation

Used motorized coil reels and uncoilers with loop control, from 500 lb light-duty reels to 20,000 lb+ heavy-duty uncoilers, in stock in Michigan and Tennessee. Filter by capacity, coil width, coil O.D. and features below, or see all used coil reels.

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Used Motorized Coil Reels and Uncoilers in Stock

A motorized coil reel (also called a powered uncoiler or motorized decoiler) uses its own drive motor to turn the coil and pay off strip, instead of letting the feeder pull it off. Every motorized reel on this page is owned and warehoused by us in Jackson, Michigan or Columbia, Tennessee, so you can check it out before you buy, ask for a video, or schedule an in-person inspection with your salesperson.

Capacities run from light-duty reels around 500 lbs to heavy-duty uncoilers rated 20,000 lbs and up, with the most common sizes between 4,000 and 10,000 lbs. Brands we often have include American, Littell, COE, Colt, Dallas, Mecon, PA Industries and Rapid-Air.

How a Motorized Uncoiler Works

A motor and gearbox (or chain drive) turn the expanding mandrel. Between the reel and the straightener or feeder, the strip hangs in a slack loop. A loop control watches that loop: when it gets short, the reel speeds up or starts; when it gets long, the reel slows down or stops, and a brake keeps the coil from overrunning. The result is that the feeder never has to pull the weight of the coil, so feed length stays accurate and the strip isn't stretched or marked. Many reels have a variable speed drive, so the reel runs smoothly instead of starting and stopping hard.

Loop Control: Dancer Arm vs. Sensor Eye

Loop controlHow it works
Dancer armA pivoting arm rides on the strip. As the loop rises and falls, the arm moves and tells the drive to speed up or slow down. Simple, rugged and common on older reels.
Sensor eye (photo eye)Light beams across the loop pit or loop stand see where the strip is and switch the reel on and off, or between speeds. Nothing touches the material.
Ultrasonic sensorMeasures the distance to the loop continuously and adjusts reel speed smoothly. Non-contact and well suited to painted, polished or pre-coated strip.

Motorized or Non-Motorized?

A non-motorized reel is fine for light coils, thin material and slow feeds. Choose a motorized reel when coils are heavier, material is thicker, feed rates are higher, or when you run a servo feed that shouldn't be pulling coil weight. Motorized reels are also safer on large coils, since the drive and brake control the coil instead of the operator.

Options to Look For

  • Hold-down arm (overarm). Keeps the coil from springing open when the bands are cut and during threading.
  • Coil car. Lifts and loads the coil onto the mandrel, a must for heavy coils.
  • Peeler. Lifts the outer wrap off the coil and guides it toward the straightener.
  • Hydraulic expansion. Expands the mandrel at the push of a button instead of a hand wheel.
  • Double end. Two mandrels on a turntable, so the next coil is ready when the first runs out. See double-end reels.
  • Electrical. Check the motor voltage against your plant. Most run 230 or 460 volt, 3 phase.

Building a Press Feed Line

A motorized reel is the first machine in a press feed line: reel, then straightener, then servo feeder, then the press. To save floor space, look at our reel and straightener combos, or buy a matched servo feed line.

Motorized Coil Reel FAQ

What is a motorized coil reel?

A coil reel with its own drive motor that turns the coil to pay off strip, controlled by a loop control so it runs only as fast as the line uses material.

What is a dancer arm on a coil reel?

A dancer arm is a loop control: a pivoting arm that rides on the strip between the reel and the next machine. Its position tells the reel's drive when to speed up, slow down or stop.

Do I need loop control?

Yes, on any motorized reel. Without it the reel can't match the line's speed, and it will either pull on the feeder or spill strip on the floor.

What size motorized reel do I need?

Match the reel's capacity, width, O.D. and I.D. range to your heaviest and widest coil, with some room to spare. Our coil reels page explains how to estimate coil weight.

Can I see a motorized reel run before I buy?

Ask for a video, or schedule an in-person inspection with your salesperson at our Jackson, Michigan or Columbia, Tennessee warehouse.

Inventory changes every week, and some reels arrive before they are listed. If you don't see the motorized reel you need, contact us with your coil weight, width, O.D. and I.D.