Breakage usually has more than one cause
A T‑cork press creates an insertion load through the closure and bottle. If the neck, base, support or alignment is wrong, the bottle may take that load in a way it was not designed to accept. The solution is not simply reducing the press setting; the pack must be supported and the closure fit must be understood.
| Risk area | Check | Practical response |
|---|---|---|
| Neck bore or finish | Variation, chips, cracks, uneven lip or coating build-up. | Measure and inspect samples before pressing; reject visibly damaged bottles. |
| Closure shank | Oversize, taper, hard material, surface defects or inconsistent batch. | Compare against approved samples and include extremes in the trial. |
| Bottle support | Base not seated, bottle leaning, unstable shape or guide interference. | Set support and guides so the bottle remains square during insertion. |
| Head alignment | Closure enters at an angle or top is not contacted evenly. | Check chuck contact, vertical alignment and bottle centring. |
Use controlled trials rather than assumptions
When a bottle breaks, keep the failed bottle, closure and setting record together. A broken sample without the associated closure and machine condition is much less useful. If failures appear only on a particular bottle mould, decoration, batch or closure shipment, that evidence should be separated from general machine performance.
What to include in a breakage-control specification
- Known bottle supplier, mould or drawing information where available.
- Minimum and maximum measured neck bore or approved supplier tolerance.
- Closure shank diameter, length, material and any surface treatment.
- Support and guide contact points that are acceptable for the bottle finish.
- Method for stopping, isolating and reviewing suspect bottles during production.
Use the sample-trial guide to structure evidence, the finished-height guide to measure output and the troubleshooting page to isolate causes.