Tamper-evident band breakage
Cause
Band bridges too thick/thin or incorrect bridge count breaks prematurely or won't release.
Corrective action
Adjust bridge dimensions/count, verify slitting, check application torque and neck bead.
Diagnosis guide: Tamper-evidence band breaks during application
What you will see
TE band breaks while the capper is applying the closure — not after, as intended. Bottle ships looking pre-opened; retailer rejects shelf. Distinct from TE band manufacturing defect (which would have been caught by IMD STATION 04).
Likely causes
- Capper downforce too high — bridges shear under axial load
- Application speed too high — bridges shear from torsional shock
- Bottle finish protrusion ridge wear (finish flange that retains TE post-application is worn — TE has nothing to engage)
- TE engagement diameter mismatch (closure designed for different finish family)
Do this first
Inspect 30 freshly-capped bottles for TE band damage. If >2% have broken TE BUT incoming closure samples are intact → capper is the cause.
How to diagnose it
- Visual: count broken TE on 30 capped bottles
- Hand-application of 5 closures (same lot) → TE should remain intact
- If hand caps intact + machine caps broken → capper is the issue
- Measure capper downforce; compare to OEM spec (PCO 1881: 80-120 N axial load typical)
- Inspect bottle finish protrusion ridge wear (on preform, this is the TE retention bead)
How to fix it
- Reduce capper downforce by 20%; re-validate
- Reduce application speed by 10%
- If bottle finish flange worn (preform-side) → root cause is preform; contact Delta
- Verify SKU compatibility: closure designed for the specific neck finish