When capping a bottle, your ultimate goal is to apply the perfect amount of torque. The perfect amount of torque properly seals the contents within your container making sure no leaking occurs. However, there are variables that can affect torque. One of these variables is momentum.
Momentum is the force of an object in motion and is measured as a product of its mass and velocity.
Ρ = M*V
P = Momentum
M = Mass (the weight of the chuck and liner combined)
V = Velocity (the speed of the capping motor, measured in RPMs)
Pictured above is a capping motor, chuck, and liner. During the capping process, the motor rotates the chuck and liner to tighten the cap onto the container.
If we analyze the capping process in terms of the equation for momentum above, the capping motor represents velocity and the chuck and liner represent the mass. There is a positive correlation between torque and momentum; when momentum is increased, torque is increased.
When evaluating your capping application, you must consider the effect momentum has on torque. It is especially important to consider momentum when tightening large caps. Large caps require large, and therefore heavier, chucks and liners. Heavier chucks and liners significantly increase mass which increases momentum which then increases torque. When tightening large caps, over-torquing is a very common problem.
To ensure that you do not over-torque your containers, focus on the other variable in the momentum equation, velocity. Since we must use large chucks and liners to tighten large caps, we must decrease velocity to lower momentum. We manage velocity by choosing the correct capping motor for the application.
Capping motors are available in a variety of speeds (velocity). The speed of rotation is generally measured in RPMs (rotations per minute). Choosing the correct capping motor coincides directly with the size of your cap. When tightening large caps, you should select a relatively low speed (low rpm) capping motor to reduce momentum. When tightening smaller caps, managing velocity is less critical.
At Kinex Cappers® we have the expertise to choose the correct capping motor that will ensure you are applying the correct amount of torque to your caps. Whenever you purchase a Kinex Cappers® capping machine, you can rest assure that careful consideration has been put into selecting the optimal capping motor for all of your caps and bottles.