Customizing a Heavy-Duty Retractable Reel to Your Precise Needs & Specifications

Businesses and other organizations sometimes use customized equipment to perform particular tasks better than a standard solution, as it provides added value specific to the application it’s being used for. However, a common consideration is whether these customized equipment, tools, or machines are worth the investment. This is especially important for any project with budgetary constraints, as the purchase price of made-to-order equipment is generally higher than off-the-shelf products.

However, a custom product may sometimes be worth the extra cost when looking at the big picture. Modifications may include colors, designs, expanded functions, extra components, or other options that make an item unique. An item may be altered to perform a certain task better or to perform a completely new function, while branding is the primary motive. As with equipment used for multiple applications, customized heavy-duty retractable reels can also be modified to perform certain functions better or simply for branding purposes.

Modifying Heavy-Duty Retractable Reels for Different Applications

Heavy-duty retractable cabling reels are equipment used for some of the most grueling industrial applications. A retractable cord reel’s basic function involves using and storing an extension cord to protect the cabling and make the work environment safer. Mass-produced heavy-duty retractable reels come in various configurations, shapes, and sizes. At the same time, the material from which they’re made can also be altered to make them more durable or lighter for specific applications.

Some uses for heavy-duty retractable reels for cabling include: 

• Auto repair shops: Powering electric tools and diagnostic equipment used in auto repair can often be done more efficiently and safely with retractable cord reels. 
• Automated machinery: Even in mostly automated facilities, a heavy-duty retractable reel helps manage cabling used to power industrial machinery. 
• Commercial kitchens: Businesses like restaurants and other places where food is prepared often benefit from cord reels to power kitchen equipment and appliances like blenders, fryers, microwaves, and mixers.
• Construction: Providing a temporary supply of electricity on construction sites for power tools and other electrical equipment, as well as heavy-duty retractable cord reels, reduces the danger and mess of tangled cabling.
• Event management: Whether used for theaters, convention centers, political rallies, music concerts, or similar proceedings needing temporary electrical installations, heavy-duty retractable reels offer event planners an efficient and flexible means of providing power before, during, and after an event.
• Hosing: Heavy-duty retractable reels can be designed as air hose reels to run pneumatic equipment and other tools for various industrial and commercial applications.
• Industrial cleaning: For industrial cleaning equipment like floor scrubbers, pressure washers, and steam cleaners, heavy-duty retractable reels protect cabling while making cleaning operations safer and more efficient.
• Production facilities: Heavy-duty retractable reels prevent tripping hazards and reduce cabling wear while providing power to electrical equipment in production facilities.

Customized cord reels can be designed to improve performance for the task at hand, providing greater efficiency and reliability to the user. Regardless of the purpose, a heavy-duty retractable reel can be designed to handle better heavy loads, harsh environments, and other difficult conditions.

Potential Advantages of Heavy-Duty Retractable Reel Customization 

Increasing efficiency and improving safety are perhaps two of the most common reasons heavy-duty retractable reels are used. For example, introducing a temporary power supply to an area undergoing maintenance allows production lines to keep running, reducing downtime and improving productivity. Using a retractable cord reel instead of a loose extension cord also protects the cabling, extending its lifespan and minimizing waste.

Cable reels protect workers from tripping hazards by keeping extension cords organized and protected. But they also help protect workers in other ways, especially for heavy-duty cables. Retractable reels are compact storage devices that make it easier to move higher gauge (and heavier) extension cords to where they’re needed much more easily, reducing strain that can lead to fatigue or injury.

Customization can also help enhance efficiency and safety in other ways. For example, using a reel with a more robust housing than an off-the-shelf model would better protect against abrasion that could damage the cord, potentially resulting in an electrical fire or shock. Lighter-weight polymers, adding wheels, or aiding mobility, are modifications that protect workers from lifting-related injuries. However, customization is only limited by a designer’s creativity.

Modifications to a heavy-duty retractable reel might include: 

• Aesthetic designs or colors that could include branded images.
• Cable management systems might include arms, guides or rollers to assist with paying out and rewinding cable.
• Compact designs that enable easier access to tight spaces.
• Handles or wheels that allow a user to move the reel easily and smoothly to where it’s needed.
• Inbuilt lighting that allows easier use at night or in unlit areas.
• Indicators on cabling show the exact length that’s been paid out.
• Motorized retraction device that allows quicker and/or steadier paying out and retraction of heavier and longer extension cables.
• Mounting options for ceilings, floors and walls, as well as swivel mounts that provide heavy-duty retractable reels with greater versatility.
• Multiple electrical outlets that allow use of several pieces of equipment at once.
• Reels are specifically designed for data, fiber optics, or even hybrid cabling to perform multiple functions.
• Rugged construction and IP (ingress protection) ratings to provide better protection when used in harsh conditions that can damage the cable.
• Safety devices like GFCIs (ground fault circuit interrupters) and integrated circuit breakers protect against electrical shocks and overloads.

There are multiple ways to alter heavy-duty retractable reels to help workers perform certain tasks better. While some businesses prefer mass-produced solutions due to the higher costs associated with customization, the improved efficiency and uptime often justify the higher price. Customizing equipment like heavy-duty retractable reels makes it easier for workers to do their jobs.

Specific Applications for Customized Heavy-Duty Retractable Reels

Heavy-duty retractable reels can be customized for multiple applications. Cord length, cord gauge, type, amperage, number of conductors, color, housing material, outlets, and other attributes can all be customized to your unique specifications. Customizations could support temporary electrical needs at conference or concert venues and other public events. First responders could use heavy-duty retractable reels for earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, tornadoes, and other disasters, incorporating emergency lighting and power sources into the reels.

Portable electrical solutions involving cord reels could benefit production facilities by bringing power to underused areas without electrical outlets. This can help a manufacturer handle sudden upticks in demand. Utility workers in the field, retailers of all types, restaurants, movie sets, factories, construction sites, auto repair shops, and other workplaces can all benefit from customized heavy-duty retractable reels for various applications.

Process of Customizing Heavy-Duty Retractable Reels 

Customizing heavy-duty cable reels for an application is similar to other modification processes. It usually starts with initially consulting with the reel manufacturer to ascertain the customer’s specific needs, such as the conditions under which it needs to function, the cord length necessary, the amount of electrical power required, and other operational specifications. For example, if the reel is used outdoors under severe weather conditions, it and the cabling should resist water and possibly extreme temperatures.

From the information the manufacturer collects from the customer during this assessment, aspects like housing material, retraction method, and reel size will normally be determined. Choosing the cable type will also play into the process, with voltage, type of insulation, capacity, and cable flexibility all considered in the final design. Special features like locking mechanisms and retraction speed will also play a part. All the information gathered will be used to develop a prototype model. After evaluating aspects like functionality, durability, and dependability, adjustments will be made to improve performance if necessary.

Once the customer is happy with the design, the manufacturer sources the materials and develops assembly methods. This will also include techniques for quality control to ensure consistency in how the reel performs, along with any safety and industry standards that need to be met. If it’s a particularly complex system, a manufacturer will often provide either comprehensive guidelines for installation or even install it themselves. More complicated heavy-duty retractable reel systems may even require manufacturer support, including instruction manuals and training on operation and maintenance.

After-sales support shouldn’t be disregarded, including troubleshooting for common problems and maintenance and part replacement assistance. A custom-made heavy-duty retractable reel might be designed for very specific settings and should meet the standards for which it’s designed. Yet even the most well-designed product can be improved upon, so ideally, the customer who purchased the heavy-duty retractable reel should provide feedback to enhance future designs to make them safer, more dependable, and more efficient.

To learn more about how we can create a custom solution for your heavy-duty retractable reel or other project, contact the reel experts at Alert Reel Manufacturing.