Tamper Bands 101
Tamper-Evident Bands
Now more than ever, the security and safety of products are important to consumers. Tamper-evident bands are a great way to add an extra layer of security to products while giving customers peace of mind. A tamper-evident band is a strip of film, typically PVC, PET-G, PLA, or OPS, that is wrapped around the neck and cap of a product. These bands are especially common with food and beverage products, pharmaceutical, health and beauty, and many other products.
The tamper band is an indicator for consumers to see if a product has been opened. This method of shrink labeling prevents grazing, which is when a product has been opened and then placed back on a store shelf. People are less inclined to open a product when there is a tamper-evident band around the cap. If grazing has occurred, an employee can see that the product has been tampered with and remove it from the shelf.
Tamper-evident bands can be applied as just a neckband or part of a full-body application that covers the entire container and the cap. On many tamper-evident bands, the film is perforated with a vertical or horizontal line to make opening easier for the consumer. The perforation allows consumers to easily tear off the tamper-evident band entirely, or tear off just the band and leave the full-body shrink label intact. Many manufacturers are using tamper bands for marketing purposes by adding logos and text to the film. The addition of colorful tamper bands provides product security with increased shelf appeal.
Application Methods
Pre-cut tamper bands can be applied by hand for low volume applications, or automated equipment, like AFM’s CH-100 Tamper Band Applicator, can be used for medium to high volume applications. In automated applications, the labels are put on a sleeve roll that is fed into the label applicator. A perforation can be added on the side of the band to allow customers to easily open the product once it is purchased. The labels are fed through the machine into a cutting assembly and cut to a specified height. The cut labels are then applied to the container using the equipment’s label applicator wheels.
In the final step, the tamper band is secured to the container using a heat source, such as a shrink tunnel, to shrink the band. To achieve the proper shrink, many factors need to be considered including the type of film being shrunk, line speed, and the desired finish of the product. AFM manufactures a full line of shrink tunnels designed for a wide variety of applications.
Are you thinking of increasing your product’s security by adding tamper-evident bands? Visit our CH-100, LX-100, and Shrink Tunnel product pages or give us a call! AFM’s knowledgeable team of district managers are here to answer your questions and help provide your customers with the security and safety they need for their products.
