What role does back tension play in spooling?
There is an ideal tension for each wire size, but very rarely is a manufacturing operation involved with just one size. For this reason, spoolers are provided with variable tension. However, the range of variable tension should be limited to a 5:1 ratio, keeping in mind that the physical braking system also has to deal with a wide variation in torque produced by the continually changing package core to package OD ratio. If you have a brake that is strong enough to create 10 lbs. of tension when a large spool is full, it probably would not have enough resolution to adjust down to 1 lb. or tension when a small spool is almost empty. Therefore, a spooler with a minimum tension of 1 lb. should have a maximum tension of 5 lbs. If the minimum tension is 1/2 lb. then the maximum should be no greater than 2-1/2 lbs. Tension ratios greater than 5:1 require non-standard systems. Like winding speed, tension is related to the reel diameter at any time, but in this case, is inversely proportional.
