0:04 - In this video, we are going to use a Mecmesin Bottle Cap Torque Tester to calibrate a Kinex® SA-2000 Capping Machine.
0:11 - Before we get started, we must know the application torque specification of the caps and bottles we are working with.
0:17 - Here, we will be working with a 28mm cap and 8 oz modern round bottle.
0:23 - The manufacturer has provided us with an application torque specification of 13 to 17 inch pounds.
0:28 - If we apply between 13 to 17 inch pounds of torque onto the cap, the cap will be properly sealed and provide a high quality closure.
0:37 - It is important to note that you cannot use a bottle cap torque tester to measure the application torque of the cap.
0:44 - Basically, what I am saying is that we cannot clamp a bottle into the bottle cap torque tester, tighten it with the bottle capping machine, and have the torque tester tell us how much torque we are applying.
0:54 - Bottle cap torque testers cannot accurately measure torque this way.
0:58 - This is why we will be performing the Method of Test for Closure Torque when it is time to calibrate our capping machine.
1:05 - Now we are looking closely at the display on the torque tester.
1:08 - Pressing the red button – here – will turn the power on.
1:12 - As the torque tester turns on; you will see numbers appear on the display.
1:18 - There are a couple of quick changes to the settings we will make before we get started.
1:21 - First, we will change the units of measure.
1:24 - As you can see, the units of measure are displayed – here – in the lower right hand corner of the screen.
1:30 - In order to change the units of measure, we will continually press the "Units" button – here – until inch pounds are indicated.
1:42 - There it is.
1:43 - We will now get the torque tester into the correct mode by pressing the “Max” button – here –. Continue to press the “Max” button until your display looks like this.
1:52 - In this mode it's going to give you the application torque on top, as well as the removal torque in the middle.
1:58 - They will both appear as two small decimal numbers above a larger number.
2:03 - The large number measures the amount of torque being applied at any particular moment, but we will ignore this number, as it is not important for our purposes.
2:11 - Throughout this video, you will see me pressing this ZERO button, which resets all three values on the display to zero.
2:18 - You will notice how the tester is already zeroed out.
2:21 - The Bottle Cap Torque Tester is now ready for the next step in our procedure.
2:27 - To help us calibrate our capping machine, we will set up a table on a piece of paper and record our torque values.
2:33 - As you can see, in this column we will record our application torque values, and in this column, we will record our removal torque values.
2:42 - Now we have to find the correlation between the application torque specification and the removal torque specification.
2:49 - We will start at the low end of the application torque specification range at 13 inch pounds.
2:54 - First, we must make sure the bottle is clamped into the tester
2:58 - then we will turn the tester on.
3:05 - Don’t forget to make sure the tester is zeroed out.
3:09 - Now there are a few important points I must make before I tighten the cap.
3:12 - It is crucial that you tighten the cap very slowly, evenly, and always at the same rate in order to receive an accurate reading.
3:19 - It should also be noted that you should never touch the bottle during this process; you grip the cap and only the cap.
3:25 - I would also like to add that all the bottles you utilize should be filled with their contents, just as they normally would be.
3:33 - The top number on the display screen tells me how much torque I am applying, so as soon as I reach 13 inch pounds I will stop.
3:43 - All right, the top number ended up being 13.02, which I will round to 13.
3:53 - I will now remove the cap; again, slowly and at a constant pace.
4:02 - The middle number ended up being 8.64, which I will round to 8.6.
4:09 -I will now record these values on my table.
4:11 - I will record the top number in the application torque column, and I will record the middle number in the removal torque column.
4:26 - We can now perform this procedure two more times.
4:29 - But before we do, I want to emphasize a very important point.
4:33 - In order to attain the most accurate results, you should always utilize brand new caps and bottles on every trial that you perform.
4:41 - I will now clamp a new bottle into the tester
4:44 - Zero it out.
4:53 - Then I will gradually apply 13 inch pounds of force onto the cap, just like last time.
5:03 - All right, the top number this time ended up being 13.02 again, so I will now remove the cap.
5:14 - All right, the middle number ended up being 8.76, which I will round up to 8.8.
5:23 - I will now record these values.
5:30 - Now, as you can see, these two removal torque values are very close together.
5:40 - These caps and bottles are showing a very clear correlation.
5:42 - Let’s go ahead and trial again to see if our correlation remains this consistent.
5:46 - I will now perform the procedure a third time.
5:50 - I will grab a new cap and bottle…clamp it in the tester…zero it out…I am now ready to apply 13 inch pounds of force onto the cap.
6:07 - All right, the top number ended up being 13.08, which I will round up to 13.1.
6:16 - I will now remove the cap.
6:17 - And the middle number ended up being 8.78, which I will round to 8.8.
6:24 - I will now record my values for a third time.
6:27 - This is now what my table looks like.
6:30 - With each value in its respective column.
6:36 - We are now going to move onto working at the high end of the application torque range, 17 inch pounds.
6:41 - So let’s put a cap on the bottle, clamp it into the tester.
6:50 - Zero out the tester.
6:54 - I will now slowly and evenly apply 17 inch pounds of torque onto the cap.
7:01 - All right, the top number ended up being 17.02, which we will round to 17.
7:08 – I will now remove the cap.
7:11 - All right, the removal torque ended up being 12.52, which I will round to 12.5.
7:17 - I will now record these values.
7:20 - Let’s take a look at my updated table.
7:24 - Notice that I have created a separate section on the table to distinguish the high end of my application range, 17 inch pounds, from my previous readings
7:32 - at the lower end of the range, 13 inch pounds.
7:42 - Once again, we will replace the cap and bottle.
7:46 - Clamp it in the tester.
7:53 - Zero out the tester.
7:56 - Now we will apply 17 inch pounds of torque.
8:02 - Alright, the top number ended up being 16.90.
8:10 - So, I will now remove the cap.
8:16 - The removal torque this time ended up being 12.52 again, so I will now record these values on my table.
8:36 - Once again, we will replace the cap and bottle.
8:42 - Make sure the bottle is clamped firmly in the tester.
8:49 - Zero out the tester.
8:52 - We can now apply the torque.
9:04 - All right, the top number ended up being 16.94, which we will round to 16.9.
9:11 - I will now remove the cap.
9:14 - The middle number this time ended up being 12.54, so I will round that value to 12.5 and record my values to complete my table.
9:26 - Now if we take a quick look at our table of values, we can see that when we apply 13 inch pounds of torque onto the cap, the corresponding removal torque values were 8.6 to 8.8 inch pounds.
9:38 - Even though the cap removed at 8.8 inch pounds two out of the three times I applied 13 inch pounds, 8.6 is still a valid reading, so it must be included within the range.
9:49 - So we will use 8.6 for the low end of our removal torque specification.
9:53 - When we applied 17 inch pounds of torque onto the cap, the corresponding removal value ended up being approximately 12.5 inch pounds.
10:01 - We now have our removal torque specifications.
10:04 - Caps that were tightened with between 13 and 17 inch pounds of torque have a removal torque range of 8.6 to 12.5 inch pounds.
10:14 - So now we will flip our table over and write the removal torque specification at the top of the page.
10:28 - With this information we can now calibrate our capping machine.
10:36 - We are now going to calibrate the capping machine so that the caps that it tightens
10:40 - fall within the range of 8.6 to 12.5 inch pounds.
10:44 - Here is the torque dial of the SA-2000 capping machine, and although it may be difficult for you to see on the video, the lines and numbers you see directly above the torque dial is the torque scale.
10:56 - When you receive the capping machine from the factory, the torque dial is set to zero on the torque scale.
11:01 - We do this because we want our customers to see the most important function of the SA-2000 capping machine, which is the automatic stop function.
11:09 - When the machine has completed tightening the cap, it should automatically shut off.
11:16 - We will tighten our first cap with the torque dial set to zero on the torque scale…
11:26 - Now we will clamp the bottle into the tester.
11:36 - Zero out the tester; then slowly and evenly remove the cap.
11:43 - As you can see, the torque dial is set so low that it only takes 2.74 inch pounds of torque to remove it.
12:04 - So, let’s go ahead and make our first torque dial adjustment.
12:07 - We'll increase the torque output by rotating the torque dial to the right by 5 clicks, which should substantially increase the torque output.
12:14 - Now let’s get a new bottle and see how we do.
12:23 - Now we can clamp in the bottle.
12:34 - Zero it out; now we will remove the cap.
12:42 - Now you can see we are at 6.74 inch pounds of removal torque, so we know we still have quite a ways to go.
13:01 - So, we're going to make another torque dial increase, this time we'll increase it by 4 more clicks.
13:06 - Remember to always use brand-new bottles and brand-new caps on every trial.
13:36 - The removal torque is now 9.12 inch pounds, which is actually within the removal torque range we are targeting.
13:43 - But it is a little bit on the low end of the range, we want our removal torque to be situated nicely in the middle of the range.
13:49 - So, we will raise the torque dial just two more clicks.
14:30 - On this trial the cap removed at 11 inch pounds of torque, also within the removal torque range we are targeting.
14:36 - But this time it is a little bit on the high end of the range.
14:39 - So, in order to find a happy medium between our last two values, we will lower the torque dial just one click.
14:45 - I have a feeling this will do it.
15:19 - The trial resulted in a removal torque of 10.24 inch pounds, which is nicely right in the middle of our targeted removal torque range.
15:27 - Now we will perform additional trials until we are satisfied that the caps tightened by the capping machine always remove within the approved range.
16:11 - The removal torque for this trial ended up being 10.80 inch pounds, I will also record this value.
16:18 - If the next trial we perform results in a removal torque close to the first two values, it will provide further evidence that our capping machine is properly calibrated.
16:54 - This cap removed at 10.36 inch pounds, which I will now record on the sheet of paper.
17:12 - Now let’s take another look at our sheet of paper.
17:15 - As you can see, all of these values are very consistent and nicely right in the middle of the targeted removal torque range.
17:21 - Our capping machine is now calibrated.
17:26 - We have now completed the calibration process.
17:29 - After you are comfortable with this process it can be performed very quickly.
17:33 - In addition, a significant portion of the process we just followed - finding the correlating
17:37 - removal torque range - in our example 8.6-12.5 inch pounds - does not have be done each and every time.
17:45 - As long as your caps and bottles are consistent in quality, and you are content that your removal torque range is accurate, this part of the procedure does not have to be performed on a regular basis.
17:55 - Instead, all that will need to be done is to measure the release torque of the caps tightened by the machine to be sure they are falling within your accepted and well established removal torque specification.
18:06 - How frequently you calibrate your capping machine is up to you.
18:09 - Some companies do it quarterly, others monthly, some do it every day before they start.
18:14 - It is personal preference.
18:16 - Thank you for watching!