Prefeeders

A prefeeder is an active pulling device that draws material from reels, spools or coils and presents it to the cutting machine. Separating the pulling force from the cutter improves process stability for soft, elastic or delicate materials.

Prefeeders are used in conjunction with dereelers, to pull material off reels, spools or coils. This provides a consistent speed output for your material, ensuring it's tension free. Functionality is further enhanced by a Loop Control, which measures the prefeeder's output speed, and communicates with the prefeeder to adjust accordingly.

When would I need a prefeeder?

• To feed elastic or delicate material and tube into cutting machines.
• To assist high-speed production lines where consistent, slip-free feeding is critical.
• To automate systems, where maintaining tension-free material flow improves cut quality.

PF 200 Prefeeder

The PF 200 prefeeder is an electrically driven unit designed to pull tubes or profiles from passive reels or spools with no slip or tension. It's drive speed adapts automatically using a dancing arm or Metzner's loop control system, ensuring smooth synchronisation with downstream machines like cutters or printers.

This modular system comprises four base units and offers five different speed-control options, allowing you to tailor the setup precisely to your process. You can choose either an electrical 3 Phase drive for cost efficiency, or a servo drive for tighter synchronisation.

Key Benefits

• Delivers tension-free material feeding from passive reels.
• Automatically adjusts feed speed to match downstream processing.
• Modular design allows for four base units and five controllers for a custom build.
• Compatible with most marking systems, including non‑Metzner machines.
• Can be used when there is no driven dereeler.

Why would I use a Prefeeder instead of an Active Dereeler?

Whilst an active dereeler pushes material towards the cutting machine, the Prefeeder pulls the material which gives a number of advantages:

• It allows a more powerful motion than a driven dereeler, making it suitable for particularly heavy materials.
• It can be used with a wider range of materials, making your overall cutting system more versatile to future requirements.
• They can be used with material that is not on a spool or reel. This is useful for systems that are in-line, or aren't produced on a reel.

Alongside this, the prefeeder can still be used with a passive dereeler if this is more suitable for your application.