How to make corrugated boxes – whether it is a POP display or a product packaging all happens during the corrugated box manufacturing process. No doubt, simple cardboard boxes are truly the result of strategic structural design and engineering, creative machinery, and an understanding of pulp and paper. The process of corrugated box manufacturing gathers the art of form with the science of function to produce a big range of products that keep your products safe all through the supply chain.
1. What is a corrugated box machine?
Cardboard box-making equipment is famous as a box or carton-making machine, which is used to produce corrugated boxes and corrugated cartons. Cardboard box-making equipment is a key type of equipment in the machinery industry; it is largely used in the light industry. You must have seen a cardboard box in life, when you buy a new piece of cup, you may get it packaged with a charming new cardboard box. The packaging box stops damage from the fragile glass cup. Corrugated boxes and cartons are very vital for express delivery; it is a big challenge for pizza delivery without a box.
2. The papers of corrugated box
Test and Kraft paper are the two most general types of paper used in corrugated boxes. The interior liner of the box is generally made of test paper, while the interior liner is made of kraft paper.
Kraft paper is more expensive than test paper, but it is of a high standard. Kraft paper is created from 70-80 percent virgin chemical pulp fiber and is made from softwood trees such as Spruce, Pine, and Fir. It is accessible in a range of textures and colors, including white, brown, totally bleached, and totally bleached.
Kraft paper also has a perfect texture, making it easier to print on. It is very water-resistant, which means the contents are better protected. It is also very durable than test paper due to its increased rip and burst resistance.
3. How are corrugated boxes made?
Corrugated box making involves two key stages: the manufacturing of the actual box and the container board-making process. Several materials are also needed depending on the needed steps. The corrugated box manufacturing materials include:
- Paperboard for the liner board and corrugated medium
- Containerboard glue for joining the medium and linerboard together. This corrugated box is largely made of combining corn starch with other chemicals.
- Box joint glue: This joint glue for the corrugated box is used in the end steps of the production process. They are largely vinyl acetate adhesives.
- Printing inks: Corrugated box printing inks can be of different kinds.
1) Corrugated box manufacturing process
- Corrugated board-making machine
The primary step is to make the corrugated box board. This is performed by combining the fluting and liner board with adhesive, which is generally starch-based.
- The corrugated board-making machine, also known as the corrugator, will first roll out the medium and liner board.
- The paper then passes via a warming section where it is steam-heated at a temperature of 170° C.
- Geared rollers generate flutes in the medium. The tips of the flutes are glued.
- In a one-facer machine, the now fluted and glued medium is linked to the linerboard.
- Another linerboard sheet is fed into the machine and linked to the other side of the one-faced board.
This is the first step.
- Corrugate board cutting machine
After the corrugated box has been made, it needs to be cut into little pieces. This is performed by the corrugated board cutting machine. The cutting machine has a big knife or cutting die that cuts the corrugated board into the desired size.
The size of the corrugated board will depend on the box size that is being made. For example, if the box is for storing little items, the corrugated board will be cut into little pieces.
- Corrugated box printing machine
After the cutting process is done, it needs to be printed. This is done by the corrugated box printing machine. The machine prints the wanted design or message on the box. The printing machine largely uses flexographic printing techniques. This is a type of printing that uses inks, plates, and chemicals to transfer the design on the corrugated board.
- Corrugated box gluing machine
After the slots are cut, the corrugated boxes require to be glued, using the gluing machine. The machine uses adhesive to the corrugated board which will hold the box combine. Corrugated box adhesives can be of various types depending on the manufacturer-making process and other factors.
The gluing machine has a big tank that holds the adhesive. The adhesive is then pumped via a series of nozzles and tubes. These nozzles apply the adhesive to the corrugated board.
- Quality control
The corrugated manufacturing process is not complete without high-standard steps. During and after the manufacturing process, they need to be checked for standards. This is done by a quality control team. The team checks the boxes for any damage or defects. This makes sure high standard boxes. A standard corrugated box is sure to withstand handling and save items during shipping.
During high-control processes, tests are performed to confirm flawless products. Once the boxes pass the standard control check, they are ready to be used. The corrugated box standard control team must be extremely careful when checking the boxes. If a box is destroyed, it could cause the products inside to be damaged.
2) Why do you need corrugated box making machine BM2508-SE of Anybox?
BM2508-SE is a fully mechanical multifunction and all-in-one corrugated box making machine with horizontal slotting and scoring, creasing and vertical slitting, and horizontal cutting all in one compact machine. When you buy this machine, you don’t need to buy costly machines like cutting, printing, and gluing machines separately. So, this will reduce your manufacturing cost. This machine can create more than 100 styles of your choice.
Some of the key features of Corrugated Box Making Machine BM2508-SE are:
- Cardboard feeding
- Horizontal scoring & slotting
- Vertical sliding & scoring
- Cross cutting system
- Die cutting system
- Inline gluing system
4. What are the advantages of a corrugated box making machine?
Here are some of the key advantages of corrugated box machines:
1) Reduce labor costs
The manual carton closing process is time-consuming and tedious. A box must be choreographed in some way, which can be hard and costly if the content is too big. Even for lightweight containers, the time it takes to manually pack can slow down the full process. Big firms invest a lot of money, time, and manpower in sealing operations. With a self-sealing machine, but with a mechanical machine, the job can be performed in seconds!
2) Efficient use of tape material
Manual sealing is not as successful as a carton sealer. The manual process needs more tape to make sure the seal is done securely. On the other hand, a carton sealer can use a restricted amount of material to seal the edges without creating waste. Efficient use of material means a lot to the business, as there is a lot of cash invested in buying industrial tape. Not only that, but many tap sizes can be installed on the same working machine, with high efficiency and low investment.
3) Better production
With rising competition from digital platforms, even little changes can have a big impact on how customers perceive your business. Automation saves money and time for companies looking to increase productivity. Using a carton sealer quickens up the packaging process, permitting businesses to handle high-volume operations and gain a competitive edge.
4) Reduce worker injuries
Repeated movements can cause injury to workers who work long hours. By implementing automation and get rid of the human factor, you can save your workers from debilitating situations such as neck pain, back pain, or wrist injuries.
5) Product safety
Any manufacturing industry aims to deliver items to customers in a reliable and safe manner. So, replacing manual operation with a carton sealing machine has become an important step. The significance of transport security cannot be overstated – when packages are delivered, they must be free of damage that could compromise the integrity of the shipment. The carton packer will make sure that the box can withstand any stress applied during shipping.
6) Reduce full cost
Installing end-of-line cartons can give important savings, as they are costly to purchase, need little maintenance, and are easy to integrate, meaning installation can be performed without any issues.
7) Eco-friendly
Cardboard materials are atmosphere-friendly as packaging items can be reused and recycled again and again matched to other packaging materials such as plastics, making them the most diverse packaging solution accessible on the market.
8) Custom designed
Cardboard boxes can be custom-generated according to the special specifications of clients. Options contain single-wall PVA glued packaging boxes, double-wall boxes that can be PVA glued or stitched, and die-cut boxes to match specific requirements.
Corrugated boxes are one of the most sustainable and affordable packaging solutions for all types of applications as they do not need costly tools or high labor costs. The materials are simple to recycle which makes them eco-friendly. Their printing features make them perfect for brand promotion.
5. Can corrugated boxes be recycled?
Corrugated boxes contain corrugated cardboard, a recycled material making corrugated boxes recyclable as well. In most examples, corrugated boxes can simply be recycled in most conditions.
Below we outline just which corrugated boxes can and cannot be recycled.
- Recycling printed corrugated boxes
Corrugated boxes are made using ink that is not just recyclable but treatable as well. This makes sure that these boxes can be recycled as easily as non-printed standard corrugated boxes.
Some considerations should be made when picking to recycle printed boxes. If by chance the box has been printed with a varnish coating then this will need to be removed before recycling. Another material sometimes found on printed boxes is glitter.
- Recycling used corrugated boxes
New corrugated boxes are generally made from old corrugated boxes. So by additional recycling this product, you are contributing to its sustainable life cycle, and saving the need for more trees.
When recycling the boxes, it is a very important thing to remember to get rid of all loose packaging material from the box, before you include it in your recycling bin. Some void fill and plastic tapes cannot be recycled along with cardboard and standard paper and will need to go to a separate recycling facility.
It is also vital to prep your corrugated boxes rightly for recycling by making sure that any labels are removed, and the box has been folded flat so that it will feed more simply into the recycling machine.
- Recycling beverage and food corrugated boxes
It can be hard to determine whether corrugated cardboard boxes that have contained beverage and food items, can be recycled. This will depend on whether the corrugated box has been soiled by the beverage or food item, or whether the corrugated box has included plastic and other contaminants. Incompatible material or foreign objects can cause issues for cardboard recycling facilities and could, in turn, lead to a full batch of cardboard recycling being discarded.
General packaging and boxes that cannot be recycled contain:
- Takeaway containers and pizza boxes with food residue
- Cardboard that is frozen or wet food containers
- Waxed cardboard containers like some juice cartons or milk cartons.
- Plastic-lined produce containers
6. Conclusion
Luckily, there is some amazing news for firms in the corrugated box industry. The e-commerce industry is rising, and there has been a rise in demand for sustainable packaging. One of the most promising corrugated box trends is the huge increase in the e-commerce industry.
Businesses are going online more than ever before and there is a big increase in demand for corrugated packaging and corrugated machines. The corrugated industry represents a big portion of e-commerce demand, which means that growth in the e-commerce industry may also lead to growth in the corrugated box industry.
If you ever need any more information about corrugated boxes and corrugated machines, you can forever consult the experts at Anybox Machine, who can answer all the questions you have and those you did not even think of.
