A container’s closure torque is important not only for package appearance and product integrity, but for customer satisfaction and consumer safety. At SureTorque we understand that today’s consumer judges product quality based on many observations which include packaging, appearance and the overall effectiveness or efficacy of the product. Proper cap torque not only impacts the package’s appearance and functionality as well as the product’s freshness and shelf-life, but more importantly, the consumer’s perception of the manufacturer’s level of quality and concern. For many producers product stability is critical since liquid product loss due to evaporation or the addition of moisture to a dry product can cause contamination, discoloration, or significant changes in potency and thereby affect the efficacy of the product. Needless to say mistakes like these can be costly. In today’s competitive market place, the consumer avoids buying products if there is detectable leakage, tampering, lack of air tightness, or something as simple as a hard to remove closure.
It’s easy to see how container cap torque can significantly affect the success of a product. Fortunately, closure application defects are relatively easy to prevent and detect through regular spot checks using a calibrated instrument such as a SureTorque to insure your closure application meets your required specifications.
What are the factors that effect closure/container torque quality?
It is not only the torque applied by a capping head that affects the immediate removal torque but other factors such as; top-load force, closure gripping pressure, container clamping force and the acceleration of the cap (speed of rotation – rate of torque application) all have an impact. Other sources of variability are possible pressure changes inside the container, temperature change, and material differences from one container batch to another. When a capper system does not have a closed loop control that monitors and adjusts top-load and the clamping forces on-the fly the removal torque may vary by container.
How can a manufacturer prevent defects and improve quality?
To assure the desired level of product quality, the manufacturer in cooperation with the component supplier must determine the proper performance specifications for the closure/container in use. It’s then up to the manufacturer to stringently sample finished product and potentially WIP based upon the set criteria. Testing methods generally are performed off-line on collected production run samples grouped for the purpose of frequency, evaluation and statistical analysis.
A SureTorque torque tester provides precise closure testing capabilities including the evaluation of a closure’s compatibility with specific containers, efficiency of tamper evident techniques, overall closure and/or liner durability as well as regular feedback relative to the capping equipment’s performance. Through the application of regular testing with a SureTorque our customers can be assured that their products conform to key performance criteria guaranteeing product integrity and a safe and positive consumer experience.
