WO2000055056A1

WO2000055056A1 - Packaging of sheet metal coils

Info

Publication number: WO2000055056A1
Application number: PCT/GB2000/000970
Authority: WO
Inventors: Neil O'halloran
Original assignee: Via Ison Limited
Priority date: 1999-03-15
Filing date: 2000-03-15
Publication date: 2000-09-21
Also published as: AU3304000A

Abstract

A packaged sheet metal coil assembly including a sheet metal coil, the coil having a mass greater than two tonnes, and packaging including a pallet (103) on which the coil is supported and fastening means releasably securing together the coil and the pallet. The pallet is reusable and includes both metal and non-metal (for example wood or plastic) pieces, that are removably fixed together, thereby facilitating easy replacement thereof. The non-metal pieces (159, 163) reduce slippage of the pallet (103) relative to the coil and of the pallet relative to the surface on which the pallet is supported. The pallet (103) may include a movably mounted conical core part that is accommodated by one end of the central passageway of the coil. The pallet (103) may also be provided with means for assisting fastening of the pallet to transport.

Description

Packaging of Sheet Metal Coils

This invention relates to the packaging of large, heavy, sheet metal coils. For example, the invention is of particular application to packaging high value sheet metal, for example tinplate, aluminium, stainless steel, special coated metals etc., in the form of sheet material wound into coils, the coils having a mass greater than two tonnes, the heavier coils having a mass of about 25 tonnes. A single sheet of strip metal once wound into a coil is commonly stored at the place of manufacture and then transported. Generally coils are transported to a place for further processing, for example a press shop or canning factory etc., where they are again stored. The sheet metal wound into a coil generally has a thickness in the range of .15mm to 10mm. In such coils, it is usual for each layer of the metal sheet to be in direct contact with the adjacent layers. The overall density of the coil (excluding the volume of the central bore) is similar to that of the metal that forms the coil.

Such coils are commonly transported on wooden pallets. Transporting a coil on a pallet enables the coil to be moved, by suitable load handling equipment, without directly contacting the coil. Thus the pallet protects, to a limited extent, the coil from physical damage. Wooden pallets quickly become damaged during use and may only be reused a few times before the pallet becomes so damaged that the pallet is unusable. Once a pallet becomes unusable, the pallet is commonly destroyed, rather than repaired.

In the specification of International Patent Application No. PCT/GB98/00765 (WO 98/40177) , the whole contents of which specification are incorporated herein by reference, we describe with reference to the drawings in that specification a container for a sheet metal coil that provides protection for the coil. In certain illustrated examples of that specification sheet metal is wound onto a core member and end pieces are then secured to the core member to protect the sides of the coil. A cover is also provided to protect a peripheral part of the coil. The core member and the end pieces, with or without the cover act as a container for the coil and serve to protect the coil from damage. The end pieces are usually fitted shortly after manufacture of the coil and are usually removed shortly before the coil is to be unwound. In those illustrated examples, the core member is present throughout the entire time, including winding and unwinding of the coil.

Those exemplary packaging systems of WO 98/40177 are able to provide very good protection for the coil and are reusable, but they suffer from the potential disadvantage that at least the core member has to remain within the coil until the entire coil has been unwound. In some applications that may be desirable but, in other cases, we believe that a user may wish to remove all the packaging and have it available for re-use at an earlier stage and the inability to remove at least the core member from the coil may be disadvantageous. Furthermore, two end pieces and a core member are required to enable the coil to be packaged.

Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide a packaged sheet metal coil assembly and a method of packaging a sheet metal coil that overcomes or mitigates at least some of the disadvantages mentioned above in relation to either the wooden pallets mentioned above or the aforementioned examples of packaging of PCT/GB98/00765. According to the present invention, there is provided a packaged sheet metal coil assembly including a sheet metal coil, the coil having a mass greater than two tonnes, being of generally annular cross -section and including a central cylindrical passageway, and packaging including a pallet and fastening means releasably securing together the coil to the pallet, wherein the pallet is reusable.

The coil assembly may be handled and transported with the axis of the coil always being substantially vertical. There is therefore, in accordance with the present invention, no need to provide two end pieces and a central core member in order to package a coil, and only one part of the packaging, the pallet, need support and bear any substantial mass. Furthermore, the pallet is designed to be reusable, as is further explained below with reference to further important aspects of the present invention, providing significant advantage over the simple prior art pallets . Advantageously, the pallet is so arranged that individual parts of the pallet are replaceable. Once such a replaceable part becomes damaged it may simply be replaced with a replacement part, thereby further extending the operational life of the pallet. The replaceable parts may be secured in place by means of releasable fixing means, such as for example, respective pairs of nuts and bolts .

The pallet preferably comprises a frame and a multiplicity of upper supporting members and lower supporting members. Those members may be replaceably secured to the frame.

The pallet is advantageously made from two different types of material, each type of material forming a substantial part of the end piece. One of the types of material may have properties that contribute to the strength of the pallet; for example, the material may be a metal or an alloy. The other type of material may have properties such that a part of the pallet made from that other type of material provides a low slip contact surface; for example the material may be a non-metal such as wood or plastic. Preferably, one of the types of material is metal and the other type of material is a non-metal. Thus the pallet may be made from two different types of material, each type of material forming a substantial part of the end piece, one of the types of material being metal and the other being a non-metal. The pallet may include metal beams for supporting the weight of the coil. Whilst the pallet, according to at least some aspects of the present invention, can be substantially entirely wooden, such a pallet would only be able to be reused about four times. The pallet is preferably so arranged to be reusable more than ten times at the very least. Providing a pallet that is partly made of metal increases the reusability of the pallet. Furthermore, the pallet may be so arranged that individual non-metal parts can easily be replaced when necessary. The metal part of the pallet may be steel . Whilst the pallet, according to at least some aspects of the present invention, can be substantially entirely metal, such a pallet has the disadvantage that the packaged assembly has a tendency to slip, for example, when conveyed by metal rollers or, for example, when carried on a metal bed of a trailer for transporting the coil, especially where the method of securing the end piece to the trailer is solely by means of passing ties around the packaged assembly and then securing the ties to the trailer bed (a method that is commonly used to secure conventional pallets to trailers) . The non-metal part may be wood or may be plastic or may be a combination of wood and plastic. For example, the pallet may include wooden pieces.

The non-metal type of material may provide a surface (or surfaces) on which the coil rests. The non-metal type of material may provide a surface (or surfaces) which contacts the ground or other surface on which the end piece rests. For example, the non-metal material may provide a surface (or surfaces) that contacts metal rollers on which the packaged assembly is conveyed or that contacts the bed of a trailer used to transport the packaged coil assembly. The non-metal that provides such surfaces of contact preferably has properties that increase the degree of friction between the end piece and the surface (s) with which it is in contact compared to the degree of friction that would result if the end piece were made entirely of steel. For example, if the pallet includes wooden planks or beams on its bottom surface, slippage between the end piece and metal rollers on which it is conveyed is reduced. The non-metal pieces that provide the surface or surfaces that contact the coil preferably also have properties that aid the protection of the coil .

The pallet may of course have components that are made from a material different from each of the afore-said two different types of material. Thus the pallet may be made from more than two different types of material .

The pallet advantageously includes a core part, which is accommodated by the end of the central cylindrical passageway of the coil. The core part is preferably arranged substantially in the centre of the pallet. The core part is preferably removably secured to the pallet. As such, the core part may be replaced with a replacement core part, for example, if the core part is damaged or if the core diameter of the coil is such that a differently shaped or sized core part would be better suited. Advantageously, the core part is movably mounted on the pallet, and is movable to and from a position in which it is accommodated by the end of the central cylindrical passageway of the coil. The core part is preferably movable to and from a position in which the core part is positioned beneath the surface of the pallet that supports the coil . Thus the core part may be moved to a position in which it does not interfere the loading (or unloading) of the coil onto (or from) the pallet. Moving the core part to such a position may therefore reduce the risk of damage being caused to either the core part of the pallet or the coil during movement of the coil relative to the pallet.

The core part preferably has a tapering cross-section, the cross-sectional area decreasing with the distance away from the pallet. For example, the core part may have a generally conically shaped portion. The conically shaped portion may facilitate the guiding of a coil onto the core part. The pallet advantageously has a plurality of fastening points so that the assembly may be releasably fastened to a separately provided apparatus . The separately provided apparatus may be a load handling means or transporting means . The pallet may for example have a plurality of mounting blocks for releasably fastening the assembly to the separately provided apparatus. The mounting blocks may be so positioned that load handling equipment is able to lift the coil by engaging the blocks, the assembly being suspended from the engaged blocks. Preferably, however the mounting blocks are so positioned that load handling equipment is able to lift the coil by engaging the blocks, the assembly being supported from underneath by the engaged blocks . Each mounting block may be located on the assembly in a position such that the mass of the assembly may be supported by the mounting blocks. Each mounting block may include means for enabling fastening straps to be used to fasten the assembly to the separately provided apparatus. The mounting blocks may conveniently be of the same type that are used on standard freight containers. Such blocks, (also known as corner fittings or corner castings) on freight containers have a standard shape according to a standard set by the International Organisation for

Standardisation under the number ISO 1161-1984 and as described under British Standard No. 3951 (1985, Part 1, Section 1.2 - Specifications for corner fittings for series 1 freight containers) published by the British Standards Institution.

The pallet preferably includes a plurality of reinforcing beams and/or load supporting members, the reinforcing beams and/or load supporting members being of tubular form. The pallet is advantageously reusable a multiplicity of times. For example, the pallet may be reusable at least ten times, preferably at least 50 times and more preferably at least 100 times. During the lifetime of a given pallet according to the invention, various parts of the pallet may require repair or replacement. It will, of course, be understood that whilst the pallet, as a whole, may be reusable more than 100 times, it is likely that at least some parts of the pallet will require repair or replacement before the pallet can be reused on certain occasions. It will be understood however that the term "reusable" as used in the present context does not include within its scope reuse of the pallet where no parts of the pallet are the same as the pallet as used initially. The fastening means used to secure the coil to the pallet need not be, but preferably is, reusable. The fastening means may comprise straps, banding or the like.

Unlike the packaged assembly described in International Patent Application No. PCT/GB98/00765 (WO 98/40177) , the assembly of the present invention need not be provided with an end piece at the end of the coil opposite the pallet. However, there may be instances where it is preferable for the assembly to include such an end piece. Thus the invention also provides a packaged sheet metal coil assembly including a sheet metal coil, the coil having a mass greater than two tonnes, being of generally annular cross-section and including a central cylindrical passageway, and packaging including a reusable pallet at one end of the coil and a reusable end piece at the other end of the coil and fastening means releasably securing together the pallet and the end piece; the pallet, the end piece and the fastening means being removable from the coil after release of the fastening means without unwinding the coil. The reusable end piece may, of course, be much lighter than the pallet, since the reusable end piece need not support any significant loads. The reusable end piece is preferably generally disc shaped. The sides of the end piece that face the coil preferably include material that reduces the chance of damage to the coil, for example, a plastics material . The reusable end piece need not necessarily cover the whole of the end of the coil to which it is adjacent.

The present invention also provides a method of packaging a sheet metal coil having a mass greater than two tonnes, the method comprising the following steps: winding sheet metal into a coil; placing the coil on a reusable pallet; and fastening the coil to the pallet with fastening means to form a packaged sheet metal coil assembly.

The packaged sheet metal coil assembly produced by the method of the invention may be in any of the forms defined above. For example, the pallet may include a movably mounted core part. In such a case, the method may include a step, before the step of placing the coil on the pallet, of moving the core part to a position in which it does not interfere with the placing of the coil on the pallet and a further step of moving the core part into the cylindrical passageway of the coil after the coil has been appropriately placed on the pallet.

Also the method may include a step of placing a tubular, flexible, cover over the wound coil before the placing the coil on the pallet.

The method may further include the step of removing the coil from the pallet while the coil is still wound.

The method may further include the step of transporting the packaged sheet metal coil assembly. The assembly may be transported by transport provided with fastening means of the type that is able to receive and releasably fasten a standard freight container provided with mounting blocks. The transport may for example be a trailer for use in transporting goods by road. In such a case, the method preferably further includes fastening an adapter means to the fastening means of the transport and fastening the assembly to the adapter means .

The present invention thus provides an adapter means including mounting means for releasably fastening the adapter means to the fastening means of a transport and fastening means shaped and configured to be able to receive and fasten a packaged sheet metal coil assembly. The provision of such an adapter means may allow coil assemblies of the present invention to be handled and transported with apparatus and equipment designed only for use with a particular size of standard freight container. A typical freight container, when loaded, is larger and heavier than a typical coil assembly and therefore equipment designed for use with such freight containers, if suitably adapted, is generally suitable for use with a coil assembly according to the present invention. Once so adapted with an adapter means according to the present invention such apparatus and equipment provide a convenient means of handling and transporting the coil assemblies of the present invention.

The adapter means advantageously includes a plurality of mounting blocks for releasably fastening the adapter means to the fastening means of the transport . The fastening means of the adapter means may comprise a plurality of fasteners. Each fastener may be a twist lock. When the mounting blocks are of the type provided on conventional freight containers (those mounting blocks being known as corner fittings) , the twist locks may be of the type that are used and known, per se, in relation to securing and moving conventional freight containers . The fastening means may be adjustable so that packaged sheet metal coil assemblies of different sizes can be fastened to the adapter means. The adapter means is preferably suitable for use in the method described above.

The present invention also provides a packaged sheet metal coil assembly as described above fastened to an adapter means as described above. Various different aspects of the present invention have been described above. It will be appreciated that features of one aspect of the invention may, if appropriate, be incorporated into another aspect of the above-described invention and that some aspects of the invention may have application independently of the broadest aspect of the present invention as defined above. For example, the aspect of the present invention concerning the core part may have application on a pallet that is not designed to be reusable. Thus, for example, the present invention also provides a packaged sheet metal coil assembly including a sheet metal coil, the coil having a mass greater than two tonnes, being of generally annular cross-section and including a central cylindrical passageway, and packaging including a pallet and fastening means releasably securing together the coil to the pallet, wherein the pallet includes a core part, which is accommodated by the end of the central cylindrical passageway of the coil . The present invention also further provides a packaged sheet metal coil assembly including a sheet metal coil, the coil having a mass greater than two tonnes, being of generally annular cross-section and including a central cylindrical passageway, and packaging including a pallet and fastening means releasably securing together the coil to the pallet, wherein the pallet has a plurality of fastening points so that the assembly may be releasably fastened to a separately provided apparatus .

By way of example an illustrative embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1A is a plan view of a pallet of a coil assembly suitable for the packaging of a coil having its axis vertical, Fig. IB is a schematic sectional side view (on the lines K-K) of the pallet of Fig. 1A,

Fig. 1C is schematic view from below showing parts of the pallet of Fig. 1A, Fig. ID is schematic cross-section (on the plane L-L) of the pallet of Fig. 1A, and

Fig. IE is schematic cross-section (on the plane L-L) of a component of the pallet of Fig. 1A.

The packaged sheet metal coil assembly generally comprises a wound sheet metal coil (not shown) fastened to a pallet 103 by fastening means (not shown) . The coil (not shown) is supported by the pallet 103 with its axis being arranged vertically. The sheet metal coil has a length of about 1.6 m and a diameter of about 1.8 m. The pallet 103 has a diameter of about 2.0 m. The coil has a central cylindrical passageway having an internal diameter of about 400 mm. When sheet metal is manufactured in coils, it is standard practice for the coil to be removed from a mandrel on which it has been wound and to be stored temporarily on a factory floor. In this state the coil is of annular form having a central passageway of circular cross-section. At any time subsequent to manufacture the packaging can be applied to form a coil assembly as shown in the Figures.

The packaged coil assembly can then be transported to a desired location and stored as required. At any chosen time, the packaging can be removed without unwinding the coil.

If desired, a cover (not shown) may also be provided to give additional protection for the coil . The cover may for example be in the form of a tube of polyethylene and can be positioned over the coil before the coil is placed on the pallet. The ends of the tube can then be pushed into the passageway of the coil and thereafter the polyethylene cover may be retained securely over the coil by suitable means so that all of the exterior of the coil is protected by the polyethylene and the interior of the coil is substantially sealed from the exterior.

The pallet 103 includes a base frame 160 (see Fig. 1C) comprising three parallel and spaced apart steel runners 161 (comprising two outer runners 161b and a central runner 161a) and two sets of four steel flat bars 162 running perpendicular to the runners 161, each set of flat bars connecting a respective pair of adjacent runners 161. The runners 161 are tubular, being square in cross-section. The ends 164 of each flat bar 162 extend perpendicularly to the middle of the flat bar and each end 164 is welded to the side 165 of a respective runner 161. Wooden beams 163 run along the length of and underneath the runners 161 (the wooden beams comprising two outer beams 163b running underneath the two outer runners, respectively, and two central beams 163a running underneath the central runner 161a, there being a gap defined between the two central beams 163a) .

The pallet 103 has a panel 105 on which a coil (not shown) can be supported. The panel 105 is made up of a plurality of panel pieces 109. The panel pieces 109 are connected to and extend perpendicular to the runners 161. The panel pieces 109 include steel box sections 158 and timber slats 159. Each panel piece 109, except the middle panel piece 167, is connected to the runners 161 by three bolts 166, each bolt passing from the panel through a respective runner 161 to a respective wooden beam 163. The ends of the bolts 166 are recessed within the wooden beams 163 and the panel pieces 109. The middle panel piece 167 is made of steel and has welded thereto in its centre a square annular metal pocket 168. The middle panel piece 167 is connected to the base frame by two bolts, one at each end, in a similar manner to that of the other panel pieces 109. A core part 106 (not shown in Fig. 1A) is removably mounted within the pocket 168. The core part 106 has a conically shaped head 170, which facilitates the guiding of a coil onto the core part 106. The core part 106 is secured to the pocket by means of a nut and bolt 169. The two ends of each of the three runners 161, are each configured to enable fastening straps to be attached thereto, thereby enabling the fastening of the packaged coil assembly to transport, by means of conventional fastenings such as fastening straps. Each end may simply have a bar onto which such straps can be attached (or passed around if appropriate) .

When a coil is to be packaged, the coil is placed on top of the pallet 103, the inner core of the coil receiving the conical head 170 of the core part 106 of the end piece. A tie (not shown) is then connected at one end to the core part 106. To enable the tie to be quickly and easily connected to the core part 106, the end of the tie may be T-shaped and the core part may have an elongate aperture leading to a hollow interior, the T-shaped end of the tie being passed through the aperture into the interior of the core part 106 and then being rotated through 90 degrees to prevent the tie from being withdrawn (and thereby effectively securing the tie to the core part 106) . The tie is arranged to extend along the centre of the core of the coil and is then secured to a disc shaped end piece

(not shown) at the opposite end of the tie. The assembly is then tightened so that the disc shaped end piece and the pallet are urged together to hold the coil securely in place. The means of securing the tie to the disc shaped end piece is conveniently a nut and bolt arrangement. At least the underside (the side that, in the packaged coil assembly, contacts the coil) of the disc shaped end piece is preferably plastic. The disc shaped end piece is advantageously much less massive than the pallet 103. The pallet 103 and coil, once fastened together to form a coil assembly, can be moved by suitable load handling equipment, without needing to contact directly the coil. For example, a forklift truck may be used to lift and move the assembly, the forks of the lift inserting underneath the panel pieces 109 and between and substantially parallel to the beams 163.

The pallet 103 can be reused many times. If and when any of the panel pieces 109 and the timber beams 163 are damaged they may simply and quickly be replaced by unbolting the damaged component (s) and replacing it/them with new components. The timber beams 163 underneath the pallet 103 facilitate the conveying of the packaged coil assembly by driven metal rollers. It has been recognised that conveying conventionally packaged coils where the parts of the assembly in contact with such rollers are metal is inefficient because of insufficient frictional engagement between the metal contact surfaces . Furthermore the wooden beams 163 reduce the chance of the packaged coil assembly slipping when being transported on a bed a conventional trailer. The provision of wooden slats 159 in the panel 105 (as opposed to the panel consisting entirely of metal pieces) helps protect the end of the coil.

Of course, various modifications can be made to the illustrated coil assembly, some of which will now be described. The tie bars 162 of the base frame 160 may be dispensed with. The panel pieces 109 of the base frame 160 may comprise panel pieces of a plastics material (for example comprising PVC or nylon, but preferably recyclable plastic such as, for example, polypropylene) . The timber slats 159 of the panel pieces may be dispensed with (one plastics panel piece replacing each set of three wooden slats 159 as shown in Fig. 1A) . The panel pieces 109 need not all be positioned immediately adjacent to each other. There may be gaps between adjacent panel pieces. The base frame 160 can therefore be formed of less panel pieces 109 than that shown in Fig. 1A. The disc shaped end piece may simply be dispensed with, conventional packaging being used instead to provide protection to the coil. The fastening of the coil to the pallet may be effected by conventional banding/strapping. The core part may be movably mounted so that it can be moved out of the way when the coil is being positioned on the pallet. The assembly may be additionally provided with corner blocks able to support the mass of the assembly. The corner blocks may be of the standard type used on freight containers and may be shaped to receive twist locks (used with corner fittings on freight containers) .

Claims

Claims :

1. A packaged sheet metal coil assembly including a sheet metal coil, the coil having a mass greater than two tonnes, being of generally annular cross-section and including a central cylindrical passageway, and packaging including a pallet and fastening means releasably securing together the coil to the pallet, wherein the pallet is reusable.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pallet is so arranged that individual parts of the pallet are replaceable .

3. An assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the pallet comprises a frame and a multiplicity of upper supporting members, which define a surface on which the coil is supported.

4. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the pallet comprises a frame and a multiplicity of lower supporting members, which define a surface that contacts the surface on which the pallet rests.

5. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the pallet is made from two different types of material, each type of material forming a substantial part of the end piece .

6. An assembly according to claim 5, wherein one of the types of material has properties that contribute to the strength of the pallet.

7. An assembly according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein one of the types of material has properties such that a part of the pallet made from that type of material provides a low slip contact surface.

8. An assembly according to any of claims 5 to 1 , wherein one of the types of material is metal and the other type of material is a non metal.

9. An assembly according to any of claims 5 to 8, when dependent on claim 3 or claim 4, wherein a first plurality of the supporting members are made of one of said two types of material and a second plurality of the support members are made of the other of said two types of material.

10. An assembly according any of claims 5 to 9, wherein the pallet is made from more than two different types of material .

11. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the pallet includes a core part, which is accommodated by the end of the central cylindrical passageway of the coil.

12. An assembly according to claim 11, wherein the core part is removably secured to the pallet.

13. An assembly according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the core part is movably mounted on the pallet, and is movable to and from a position in which it is accommodated by the end of the central cylindrical passageway of the coil .

14. An assembly according to claim 13, wherein the core part is movable to and from a position in which the core part is positioned beneath the surface of the pallet that supports the coil.

15. An assembly according to any of claims 11 to 14, wherein the core part has a tapering cross-section, the cross-sectional area decreasing with the distance away from the pallet.

16. An assembly according to claim 15, wherein the core part is generally conical in shape.

17. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the pallet has a plurality of fastening points so that the assembly may be releasably fastened to a separately provided apparatus.

18. An assembly according to claim 17, wherein the parts of the pallet that provide the fastening points are so arranged on the assembly that they are able to support the mass of the assembly.

19. An assembly according to claim 17 or claim 18, wherein each fastening point includes means for enabling fastening straps to be used to fasten the assembly to the separately provided apparatus.

20. An assembly according to any of claims 17 to 19, in which the parts of the pallet that provide the fastening points are mounting blocks being of the same type that are used on standard freight containers.

21. An assembly according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the pallet includes a plurality of reinforcing beams and/or load supporting members, the reinforcing beams and/or load supporting members being of tubular form.

22. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the pallet is reusable a multiplicity of times.

23. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the fastening means is reusable.

24. An assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the assembly includes an end piece secured to the end of the coil opposite to the end at which the pallet is secured.

25. A method of packaging a sheet metal coil having a mass greater than two tonnes, the method comprising the following steps: winding sheet metal into a coil; placing the coil on a reusable pallet; and fastening the coil to the pallet with fastening means to form a packaged sheet metal coil assembly.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein the packaged sheet metal coil assembly is as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 24.

27. A method according to claims 25 or 26 further including the step of placing a tubular, flexible, cover over the wound coil before the coil is placed on the pallet.

28. A method according to any one of claims 25 to 27, further including the step of transporting the packaged sheet metal coil assembly.

29. A pallet suitable for use in a method according to claim 26.