Jams, web breaks and crooked dispense stop the line. The cause may be the machine or the label: nicks that do not break, release force out of window, too little stiffness or a liner that is too soft, so the feed roller cannot grip or cannot separate.
Name the symptom
- Jam: labels stack at the peel plate, or the web walks
- Web break: liner or facestock tears under tension
- Poor dispense: it feeds, but not continuously once speed rises
Die-cut, release force, stiffness
Die-cut should sever the facestock and spare the liner. Too shallow and the label will not release cleanly; too deep and the liner is nicked and breaks at speed. Too much release force wrinkles at peel; too little and labels pre-dispense in transit. Stiffness must match speed: too soft and the label collapses at the peel plate; too stiff and it springs off the pack.
| Check | Too weak / too shallow | Too strong / too deep |
|---|---|---|
| Die-cut | Label peels with liner still attached | Liner damaged; web breaks at speed |
| Release force | Pre-dispense, flying labels | Hard peel, wrinkles, stoppages |
| Stiffness | Collapse at the peel plate, crooked apply | Spring-back, flagging, poor wet-out |
Test on the real applicator
Worn feed rollers, a wrong peel angle or a roll OD outside the machine window also look like “bad labels”. Bring actual OD, core and dispense speed. Tune die-cut and adhesive only after the same lot has run on the customer machine. Weigh-scale dispense (liner breaks, jams) is similar but the liner caliper and release window are tighter and need their own trial.
