The test stand's crosshead moves in the up direction, dislodging the wick from the clip. The force gauge records the peak force and outputs the value to a PC for further analysis.

Background:

Wicks have been an essential component of candles for centuries, providing light, enjoyment, and other benefits in restaurants, spas, houses of worship, and homes. The common expectation by candle manufacturers is that their candles’ ability to burn evenly will result in a satisfactory customer experience.

To ensure the candle burns evenly, the wick must be centered and straight throughout the entire profile of the candle, whether it is freestanding or positioned in a jar or votive. Many candle designs feature a wick with metal clip crimped to one end. This clip stabilizes the wick during the candle manufacturing process.

During production, tension is applied to the free end of the wick during wax solidification to orient it axially. Sometimes, however, this tension is sufficient to separate the wick from the clip, resulting in manufacturing failures.

How Mark-10 Helped:

A manufacturer of candles approached Mark-10 with a challenge to improve their production process to minimize rework and recalls.

Mark-10 supplied a testing system to measure the force required to separate the wick from the clip, including a motorized test stand, force gauge, and grips. The upper grip is attached to the force gauge, moving in the up direction and pulling on the clip. After the wick and clip have been dislodged from each other, the test stand’s crosshead reaches a limit switch and returns automatically at high speed to the home position. The force gauge transmits the force data to a PC for further analysis. Results are compared to a reference force range, allowing for quick identification of failures.

The Mark-10 system was successfully implemented and the manufacturer reports they are very satisfied by the improvement in throughput and consistency, to the benefit of their customers.

Products used:

• Model ESM301 motorized test stand (superseded by: ESM303)
• Model M5-50 force gauge
• G1001 wire terminal grip
• G1002 dual roller grip
• MESUR^®gauge data collection software