The cardboard packaging is well-known because of its sturdy nature. The cardboard is a sturdy material that is also readily available in the marketplace and that too at cost-effective ranges. These packages are sustainable options that do not cause any waste or pollution. You can easily recycle them, or else they can be degraded by microbes in the atmosphere. The boxes come in all shapes and sizes according to the need of the product. You can also print them with modern techniques like digital or offset, etc., to make them look beautiful. To change their outer texture, you can use finishing coats like laminations and foiling.
The cardboard packaging helps in the encasement of all kinds of items. You can customize the boxes into beautiful shapes and sizes according to your requirements. You can manufacture them from cardboard material which helps in the production of stable and robust boxes. Here we are going to discuss details about how to make the cardboard and how to use it in the packaging.
1. The Raw Materials
The production of cardboard boxes USA is not as simple as it may sound. The boxes need cardboard material for manufacturing. This material is organic as well as non-toxic. It is stiff, durable as well as light-weighted. It is made out of there layers of kraft paper. People get these materials from the fast-growing trees of pine or fir. This is the primary raw material that is used in the manufacturing of cardboard. These materials, as the name depicts, are quite raw. You cannot use them without processing them.
First, you need to convert the raw materials into kraft paper. Besides these materials, you also need to have corn starch glue and adhesives. These materials help in bonding the corrugated medium to the liner sheets. Waxes, as well as paraffin oils, are also required to make the boxes more water or moisture resistant. These are all the types of raw materials that one needs to make the cardboard.
2. Appropriate Manufacturing
The manufacturing of cardboard boxes is not simple. It contains different processes and techniques that help in the production of the right kind of materials.
3. Pulping
Above, we have mentioned all the raw materials that you need to have for the manufacturing of custom cardboard packaging. The manufacturing process of the cardboard and boxes is extensive. It does not happen overnight. The very first step in the production of corrugated cardboard boxes is the pulping of woodchips. You can place the woodchips in the high-pressure tank that is digester. Here the woodchips are cooked in the solution of sulfates. After few hours of cooking, the pulping of woodchips are completed.
4. Production of Kraft Paper
After the pulping of woodchips, workers pour the slurry of woodchips into a special machine. This machine contains a wire mesh where the paper is initially formed. This paper is then fed to the steam-heated rollers, which help in removing and squeezing excessive water. At the end of this process, the finished paper or liner is rolled for transportation purposes.
5. Fluting of Cardboard
There are different grades of kraft paper available. Experts separate these papers on a different basis. The one used for the liner is quite different from than one used for the medium. This way, different kinds of cardboard are made by using different qualities and degrades of kraft. After you transport the kraft paper to their destinations, experts put them into the corrugator. One roll of the medium is subjected to run through the corrugating rolls. The rolls of the liner will be fed inside the corrugated so that it can join the corrugated medium. The medium also travels to different rollers, which are known as single facer glue stations. In this place, the machine glues the liner to the medium. This cardboard is then passed over steam-heated plates that can dry and affix the glue. This process helps in joining the liner to the corrugated medium.
6. Convert Blanks Into Boxes
After the joining of liners to the medium, the material goes into the machine that trims it. This machine not only cuts but also trims the material into large sheets called box blanks. From this step, these blanks are treated with high-quality machinery and equipment that converts them into boxes. Furthermore, professional workers treat the blanks with flexo machines. This machine processes the entire box blanks and turns them into stable boxes. While passing from flexographic machines, the blanks are trimmed, printed, cut as well as glued to form a package. In this step, the boxes are customized and modified according to the demands of the people. Companies use high-quality printing to make the boxes attractive. All of such aspects depend solely on the demand and requirement of the businesses that order these.
7. The Curtain Coaters
Curtain coater is just another piece of equipment in the corrugating plant that helps in applying finishing coats. You can apply the coats to the boxes that need to package meat, fruits, and vegetables. This helps in making the boxes more water and moisture-resistant. These coats also enhance the physical appearance of the boxes and make them look more enticing. Different kinds of coats are available, like laminations, metallic foiling as well as embossing and debossing techniques. According to the demand of business owners, manufacturing companies use these finishing options. People use cardboard packaging because of its durable and environmentally friendly nature.
Companies make these boxes from long processes. This process started from making the kraft paper material and ended up with the production of a complete function box. People are more inclined to use these boxes because they can protect the products from getting damaged. Apart from this, they also allow customizations options. Custom packages look more attractive and enhance the value of the packaged items.
