Zero white rust. No one in the stacking zone.
Grigoris Bouzakis, then CTO of ELASTRON, explains how three LineFeeder units solved a decades-old problem in pre-galvanised tubes, with payback under two years.
stacking zone, per machine
From manual to automated, in three years.
The problem
In pre-galvanised tubes, metal-to-metal contact inside the stack traps moisture. White rust appears before the tube reaches the customer: rejected deliveries and extra cost. For years, the answer was people inserting separators by hand, inside a zone that stacks automatically and fast. Slow, uneven, dangerous, and the bottleneck holding back the line.
The machine
LineFeeder works in line with the tube mill, on the existing stacker. It feeds, cuts and places a separator on each row of tubes, at the stacker’s pace, and adjusts on the fly to any stack configuration. Patented mechanism: Greek patent granted, international PCT application filed.
The results
It has operated at ELASTRON since 2024. Two more units followed, one in 2025 and one in 2026. On each line: zero white rust, the bottleneck removed, two people per shift out of the stacking zone, and payback under two years.
Where else it fits
Any line that stacks tubes or profiles and inserts separators, sheets or corner protectors by hand. Internationally, LineFeeder is also available through POMINI Long Rolling Mills, integrated into its tube packaging machines; we adapt it ourselves for lines already in operation.
Do you stack tubes or profiles?
Tell us which stacker you have and how separators are inserted today. In one visit, we tell you whether LineFeeder (or a variant of it) fits your line and how quickly it pays back.