Troubleshooting Guide for Sleeve Labeling Machines
1. Label Skewing/Displacement (Most Common Fault)
During the operation of the sleeve labeling machine, the label is offset or skewed after being sleeved into the bottle body (bottle
neck/bottle shoulder), even deviating from the specified labeling position, which affects the consistency of product appearance, and
is more common in the labeling scenarios of beverage bottles and daily chemical bottles.
1. Causes: The bottle positioning fixture is loose or offset, resulting in the bottle body being off-center during conveying; the running speed of the conveyor belt does not match the label film conveying speed of the sleeve labeling machine, resulting in a speed difference; the position of the label film guide roller is offset, and the label film is unevenly stressed
during conveying; the bottle body itself is deformed or irregular.
2. Solutions: Readjust the bottle positioning fixture, tighten the fixing screws to ensure that the bottle body is centered and free of
shaking during conveying; synchronously calibrate the speed of the conveyor belt and label film conveying through the equipment
control panel to keep the two running synchronously; loosen the fixing screws of the guide roller, recalibrate the position of the
guide roller to ensure smooth and non-offset label film conveying; screen qualified bottle bodies, eliminate deformed and irregular
bottles to avoid affecting labeling accuracy.
2. Label Damage/Tearing
The label film is damaged, torn, or even broken during feeding, conveying or labeling, resulting in interruption of
labeling, increased consumable loss, and reduced production efficiency, which is common in thin label film or high-speed labeling scenarios.
1. Causes: Excessive adjustment of label film tension leads to excessive stretching and easy tearing of the label film;
the cutter is worn and the blade is not sharp, resulting in uneven force when cutting the label film and causing label
damage; there are foreign objects (such as broken labels, dust) inside the labeling mechanism, which jam the label
film conveying and cause the label film to tear; the label film itself is of poor quality, with insufficient toughness and
easy brittleness.
2. Solutions: Rotate the label film tension adjustment knob to loosen the tension, keep the label film naturally stretched, and avoid excessive stretching; replace the worn cutter or grind the blade to ensure the blade is sharp and the
force is uniform during cutting; shut down the machine to clean foreign objects inside the labeling mechanism,
check if the transmission parts are stuck, lubricate in time, and ensure smooth label film conveying; replace with high-quality label film, and select the label film specification with good toughness and suitable for the equipment (usually 0.02-0.05mm thick).
3. Poor Heat Shrinkage Effect (Label Film Wrinkling/Non-adhesion/Incomplete Shrinkage)
After labeling, the label film is heated by the shrink tunnel, and problems such as wrinkling, non-adhesio to the bottle
body, and incomplete shrinkage occur, which affects the product appearance. It is more common in the use scenario of shrink sleeve labeling machines, which is closely related to temperature and speed adjustment.
1. Causes: Improper temperature adjustment of the shrink tunnel (too high or too low); too high temperature causes
the label film to melt and wrinkle, and too low temperature causes incomplete shrinkage; the conveyor belt runs too
fast, and the label film stays in the shrink tunnel for insufficient time to shrink fully; the air outlet of the shrink tunnel
is blocked, and the hot air distribution is uneven, leading to inconsistent shrinkage of the label film in various parts of the bottle body; the label film material does not match the shrinkage temperature (such as different temperature
requirements for PVC film and POF film).
2. Solutions: Adjust the shrink tunnel temperature according to the label film material (PVC film is suitable for 120-150℃, POF film is suitable for 150-180℃), and gradually debug to the best shrinkage effect; slow down the running
speed of the conveyor belt, extend the residence time of the label film in the shrink tunnel, and ensure the label film
shrinks fully; clean the dust and debris at the air outlet of the shrink tunnel, check the operation status of the hot air
fan, and ensure that the hot air blows evenly to the bottle body; replace the label film suitable for the temperature of the shrink tunnel to avoid poor shrinkage effect due to inconsistent materials.
4. Label Film Feeding Interruption
During the operation of the sleeve labeling machine, the label film suddenly stops feeding, leading to equipment shutdown and affecting production continuity, which is mostly caused by feeding mechanism faults or problems with the
label film itself.
1. Causes: The label film roll is loosely installed, slipping and offset during feeding, leading to feeding interruption;
the feeding motor fails (such as poor line contact, motor overload) and cannot drive the label film conveying normally; the label film joint is adhered or broken, or the label film roll is used up and not replaced in time; there are foreign
objects stuck in the feeding path, hindering the label film conveying.
2. Solutions: Refix the label film roll and install anti-slip pressure rollers to ensure that the label film does not slip or
offset during feeding; check the feeding motor line to troubleshoot poor contact problems; if the motor is overloaded, shut down the machine to cool down in time, investigate the cause of jamming and handle it, and replace the motor if the fault is serious; clean the adhesive at the label film joint; if the label film is broken, reconnect and fix the label
film, and replace the label film roll with a new one in time when it is used up; clean foreign objects in the feeding
path, check if the guide parts are smooth, and ensure that the label film is conveyed without obstruction.
5. No Cut Mark/Unable to Cut Label Film
1. Causes: Insufficient cutter pressure adjustment, the cutter is not in close contact with the base plate, and cannot
cut the label film effectively; the gap between the cutter and the base plate is too large, exceeding the cutting range; the cutter is worn and the blade is dull, resulting in insufficient cutting force; the thickness of the label film exceeds
the equipment's applicable range, and both too thick and too thin will affect the cutting effect.
2. Solutions: Increase the cutter pressure through the equipment adjustment knob to ensure that the cutter is in closecontact with the base plate to achieve effective cutting effect; adjust the gap between the cutter and the base plate tocontrol it within 0.1-0.2mm, suitable for conventional label film cutting; replace the worn cutter or grind the blade to
restore cutting sharpness; replace the label film suitable for the equipment to ensure that the label film thickness is
within the range specified by the equipment (0.02-0.05mm).