How Does a Zipper Zip? | Inside the Slider

How does a small slider join a long opening? Follow the same metal zipper teeth as they pass through a Y-shaped guide, engage, and separate when the pull reverses.

The cover lifts away so you can see the route inside. This enlarged model illustrates the path and sequence; it does not reproduce a manufacturer’s tooth geometry or simulate retention under load. Metal teeth and continuous coil zippers have different mating shapes.