6
Restek Corporation
Adjusting Electronic Crimpers for Use
The electronic crimpers must be adjusted for the vials, caps and seals that will be used. The +
and - adjustment buttons on the top of the crimping tool set a stop position for the motor that drives
the tool.
The adjustment of the crimping tool is effectively a height adjustment. The setting determines the
amount of compression of the cap and is very accurate. There may be some drifting over time due
to stretching or wearing-in of components of the new crimper, but generally the reproducibility of
the crimp is as good as the consistency of the vials and seals.
Select 5 or so vials, caps, and seals for the purpose of setting the crimp. Place the seal and cap
on the vial and rest the crimper on top of the cap.
Squeeze the trigger switch lightly to engage the motor.
This switch must be held down until the
crimp is complete.
If the switch is released early the crimper will retract.
If the Status LED blinks amber after the cycle is complete a fault was detected. Two yellow blinks
means that the trigger button was released early. Three yellow blinks means that the crimper
stalled – it was not able to deliver enough power to reach the position requested in the setting.
Check the crimped vial for satisfactory form and tightness. If the cap spins easily, press the +
button two or three times. Try the new setting with a new vial and cap.
Crimping the same vial two times will not generally give the same results and sometimes will result
in vial breakage. See the section on “Troubleshooting” for more information.
Special considerations for 20mm Headspace vials. It is common practice to use the “twist test” to
check headspace vials for satisfactory crimps. In fact many sealing systems hold pressure
perfectly well so long as the seal is well compressed.
