I inspected our finished collars after the bench handling trial and found shiny contact bands. The supplier immediately proposed softer pads. We have no agreed appearance method yet, and some collars may already have had those bands. I want a fair comparison before paying for a different contact material, including whether it can hold and release the actual collar.
Start with identified collars checked before handling under quality's agreed appearance method. Then follow the same pieces through the trial. Otherwise every incoming mark can become a gripper complaint.
Quality has agreed the viewing method and checked the retained incoming examples. Two already have the band and are accepted. A third has a different rejected scuff. We have not established when the trial samples acquired their marks.
Keep those categories separate. Has the next comparison included the receiving nest? A mark first noticed after transfer may come from that contact rather than the fingers.
Did that comparison happen, Felix? Interested whether you found a new mark at the gripper or later. Softer pads might still be useful, but the cause should decide the trial.