Plastic Spools

A spool in its most basic form is simply a cylinder around which a flexible material can be wound to make it more manageable.  Usually flanges are added to each end of the cylinder to further contain the material, and in most cases there is some provision for a central axis around which the spool may rotate.  The surface upon which the material is actually wound, the barrel, may be considerably larger than the axis or arbor of the spool, much as the rim of a wheel exceeds the hub.  The flange, barrel, arbor hole diameters along with the traverse length, the distance between the flanges, (see diagram, dimensions F, B, A, T,) can be used to describe virtually any spool.

Nortic’s first product was a spool designed to accommodate fishing line, it was being manufactured in two pieces. A polystyrene barrel and a flange were molded separately and glued together.  Holes in each flange provided for an arbor through the center.  Molding this same spool in one piece, to eliminate the expense and hazards of gluing, was possible.  A one-piece spool with the same dimensions was not much of a problem.  However, the customer wanted to be able to apply an adhesive label to both sides of the spool.  This requirement prevented the simplest design which would have been to core the spool from one side.  Using alternating triangular cores from either side it was possible to incorporate sufficient surface area on each flange to apply a label, while permitting the spool to be molded in a single piece.   This set the course for Nortic’s development of one-piece spools tailored to the customer’s need.  The company now produces more than 40 different spools of various sizes and designs, both as a proprietary manufacturer and as a contract molder for others who may already have tooling. If Nortic does not presently have the size, or style of spool it may warrant new tooling. Nortic is ready to assist in any way.

Nortic’s product line extends from a relatively small spool 2 ¾ X ½ inches weighing less than ½ ounce to a 7 X 7 inch spool weighing 22 ounces.   Nortic spools are used for monofilament, cordage, wire, tubing, and 3D printing fiber among other purposes.