Introduction
Machine jams are a fact of life in secondary packaging. But not all jams are created equal. Some are the unavoidable cost of running high-speed equipment with real-world materials. Others are entirely preventable — and recurring preventable jams are a signal worth taking seriously.
Here’s a practical breakdown of the most common jam causes and how to think about them.
Avoidable Jams
This is the single most common source of recurring jams in case and tray packing operations. Corrugated board that’s too soft, too stiff, too moist, or outside dimensional tolerance will fight the machine at every step, from blank feeding to erecting to sealing. The fix isn’t machine adjustment; it’s supplier accountability and incoming material inspection.
As tooling wears, clearances change. What ran cleanly on day one may jam consistently a year later. Regular tooling inspection and preventive maintenance catch this before it becomes a downtime problem.
A machine that’s not properly adjusted for the current product will jam. If operators are compensating for a machine that “runs a little off” on a specific SKU, that’s a changeover calibration problem.
If products arrive at the loading zone in the wrong orientation, inconsistently spaced, or with damaged primary packaging, the case packer will jam. The jam happens at the case packer, but the root cause is upstream.
Hard-to-Avoid Jams
Some jam causes are more difficult to eliminate entirely, such as:
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Random primary packaging defects
These could be a crushed can or a leaking pouch that made it past upstream inspection -
Material issues caused by ambient temperature or humidity swings in the plant
These can show up as primary package materials not behaving ‘like normal’ or as secondary containers not running well during the erecting or sealing processes
PRO TIP
If you’re experiencing more than 2–3 unplanned jam-related stops per shift, that’s worth a root cause investigation (not just clearing and running).
The Maintenance Angle
Most chronic jam issues have a maintenance or setup signature. Tracking jams by type, location, time of shift, and SKU will quickly reveal patterns that random troubleshooting misses. That data is also valuable when working with your OEM’s service team — it gives them something to diagnose rather than guess at.
Experiencing Packaging Challenges?
Give us a call. Douglas specialists are ready to answer questions and discuss options that put you on the path to simpler, more successful packaging.
