Carton Making

The carton making process is varied but there are some common steps a) b) c) d) Printing Cutting and creasing Window patching Gluing

As the paperboards passes through all the printing presses, it is bent by the tension and feed rolls. This will break some of the fibers, reducing the stiffness and strength of the board and thereby resulting carton. Mechanical Fiber- more susceptible to breakage than chemical fiber as it is shorter in length and more brittle. Three Main Print Methods a) Offset lithography b) Gravure c) Flexography Cutting and creasing- carried out using a flat die for sheet-fed materials or a rotary die for reel Fed materials. Forme- made up of plywood, with steel cutting knives and creasing rules inserted into grooves which are commonly cut using a laser for high accuracy Foam rubber pads- placed at either side of the cutting knives to act as springs which remove the board from the blade after the cutting operation. Cutting knife blades- these are designed in such a way that when the cutting operation is complete, they leave nicks between individual carton cut outs.

Nicks- these are made by designing notches into the cutting knives. These vary depending on paperboard type and thickness; the stronger the board the narrower the notch. Knife edges blunt over time and need replacing. The speed at which they do so varies with the type of board being cut. Plastic-coated boards often require a specially designed cutting knife. It is uneconomical to use a forme where the knives are blunt or incorrect for the paperboard being cut, as this will result in poor performance on the carton erecting machine in use.

The other important operation performed by the forme is creasing. The quality of crease depends on: Height and width of the creasing rule with respect to the paperboard Thickness of the make-ready if the make-ready is too thin crease has no room to form properly The width of the make-ready groove in relationship to the thickness of the creasing rule-if the make-ready groove is too narrow the crease is likely to form too tightly; if too wide the crease forming operation is not tightly controlled The accuracy and hardness of the make-ready is critical otherwise the crease will be poorly formed, either through distortion of the make-ready inaccuracy of the crease The pressure of the die cutter-if the pressure is too great, undue forces will be put on the paperboard causing it to split; if the pressure is too weak insufficient pressure is available to form a perfect crease. The make-ready refers to the underside of the creasing platen situated beneath the substrate. To ensure an evenconsistent crease profile, the groove formed as the female form of the creasing rule must have the correct depth and profile and be contained on an even-deforming metal bed. Make-ready matrixes come in three Self-adhesive metal strips counter plasten Plastic (polyester) channel Phenolic resin-impregnated the creasing forme. forms which can be stuck down in place on the (pre-made) of fixed width and depth paper/fabric which is pre-etched to match

The first option is often used for short runs, but relies heavily on the machine operator for accurate placement. The third option is used for complicated designs and long-run work, while the middle option is used for either long or short runs. Once the make-ready and forme are in place, the cutting and creasing operation can take place. Where the printed paperboard is in reel form, rather than flat sheets, it is die cut using two sets of profiled metal cylinders; one set for cutting and one for creasing. At the cutting and creasing stage, opening features, embossing and cut outs can be included. There are many styles of opening feature, with the two most common being the zipper and concora. The zipper is produced by cutting a series of tram line perforations through the board, which allow the carton to be zipped open at the consumers convenience. The concora method is more sophisticated and does not pierce the paperboard, but makes a stepped parallel double half cut (60%) from either side of the paperboard. Once the cutting and creasing operations have been completed, the cartons can be window patched. Adhesive is applied to an area around the window, far enough away from the edge so that the adhesive will not spread into the window but close enough to produce a secure seal. Most end load cartons are pre- glued prior to delivering to the packer/filler. This is a high-speed operation described as follows; Flat cartons are accurately fed into the gluer Working creases are pre-broken by folding through 160. For difficult substrates, the surface to the glued is broken to allow for better adhesion.

Glue is applied to one of the two surfaces to be glued-often coloured pink or blue so it can be seen to have been applied.

The other surface is brought into contact with the glue. Pressure is applied and the bond held until the glue is set. The normal quality checks carried out on a carton Graphics and texts Coefficient of friction Dimensions Stiffness Moisture content Crease bend resistance Fibre tear on glue flap Carton weight Carton compression strength Taint and odour Direct food contact

Rigid boxes, carded blister and skin packs

The two other uses of paperboard in packaging Rigid boxes Backing cards for blister and skin packs Carded blister and skin packs provide a very cost effective and convenient way of displaying small individual components. A blister is a rigid and clear, pre-formed thermoformed shape made from a platic sheet.

Carded skin packaging is similar to blister packaging, but in this instance the special grade of transparent plastic skin film is vacuum formed over the product. MOULDED PULP TRAYS AND BOXES Moulded pulp items are used to stabilize products as well as to protect them from physical damage. Typical packaging formats in moulded pulps are: Egg boxes Punnets for soft fruits Trays for raw meats Protective sleeves for glass drinks bottles Corner protection pieces Fitments for holding small and large components

The pulp can be made from recycled or virgin fibres, prepared in the same way as for conventional paperboard. Wet strength performance can be improved by the addition of wax, rosin and polymer resins. The moulded pulp packaging can be bonded to plastic films which provides barrier protection, allowing them to be used for trays for fresh produce where the whole will be flow wrapped. Expanded polystyrene packaging is being replaced by moulded pulp, even for large items such as desk top printers and household electrical products.