Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or
protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use
Corrugated Packaging
Objective of studyThe objective behind the study of this topic
was the hunger of knowledge about a completely new industry viz
Corrugated Packaging.
There are studies been made on packaging industry but the
corrugation sector was not given so much importance, I wanted to
bring it to everyones notice that an industry known as corrugated
packaging not only exists but also yields great returns and has a
lot of scope for development.
Chapter IPackaging Industry Packaging overview
History of packaging
Factors to consider when making packaging decision
Packaging an overview
Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or
protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use.
Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and
production of packages. Package labelling (BrE) or labeling (AmE)
is any written, electronic, or graphic communications on the
packaging or on a separate but associated label.
Packaging is heavily integrated into our daily lives, we see it
all around us, on everyday items such as chocolate bars and potato
chip (crisp) packets- As explained below, the main use for
packaging is protection of the goods inside, but packaging also
provides us with a recognisable logo, or packaging, we instantly
know what the goods are insideA Brief History of Packaging
Introduction
From the very earliest times, humans consumed food where it was
found. Families and villages made or caught what they used. They
were also self-sufficient, so there was little need for packaging
of goods, either for storage or transportation. When containers
were needed, nature provided gourds, shells, and leaves. Later,
containers were fashioned from natural materials, such as hollowed
logs, woven grasses and animal organs. As ores and chemical
compounds were discovered, metals and pottery were developed,
leading to other packaging forms.
Packaging is used for several purposes:
Contain products, defining the amount the consumer will
purchase.
Protects products from contamination, from environmental damage
and from theft.
Facilitate transportation and storing of products.
Carry information and colorful designs that make attractive
displays.
For each product's needs, there are good packaging solutions.
Though packages are often taken for granted, they are the result of
many years of innovation -- in some cases accidental. A brief
review of the more popular packaging developments are included in
this fact sheet.
Paper and Paper Products
One way of placing packages into categories is to describe them
as flexible, semi-flexible, or rigid. Flexible packaging includes
the paper sacks that dog food comes in, the plastic bags that hold
potato chips, and the paper or plastic sacks in which we carry home
our purchases. An example of semi-flexible packaging is the
paperboard boxes that cereal, many other food products, small
household items, and many toys are packaged in. For many non-food
items, the packaging is made more rigid by formed packing materials
that slip inside the box and hold the product and its accessories
or components in place. Forms of rigid packaging include crates,
glass bottles, and metal cans.
Cloth or paper may be the oldest forms of flexible packaging.
Flexible packaging is the most "source-reduced" form of packaging,
that means that a flexible package has the least amount of material
compared to other forms of packages that would hold the product.
This also means that flexible packaging adds very little weight to
the overall product, and there is very little to discard when the
package is empty.
The use of flexible packaging materials began with the Chinese,
They used sheets of treated mulberry bark to wrap foods as early as
the first or second century B.C. During the following centuries,
the Chinese also developed and refined the techniques of paper
making. Knowledge of how to make paper gradually moved west across
Asia and into Europe. In 1310, paper making was introduced to
England. The technique arrived in America in Germantown,
Pennsylvania, in 1690.
Paper is basically a thin sheet of cellulose. Cellulose is a
fibrous material derived from plants. Early paper was made from
cellulose fibers derived from flax, the plant that also gives
fibers for linen cloth. As demand for paper grew, old linen rags
were sought as a source of fiber.
In 1867, the process for deriving useful cellulose fiber from
wood pulp was developed. Because wood was so cheap and plentiful,
this fiber source rapidly replaced cloth fibers as the primary
source of paper fiber. Today, virtually all paper has wood pulp as
the source of cellulose fiber.
An important step for the use of paper in packaging came with
the development of paper bags. Commercial paper bags were first
manufactured in Bristol, England, in 1844. Shortly thereafter, in
1852, Francis Wolle invented the bag-making machine in the United
States. Further advancements during the 1870s included glued paper
sacks and the gusset design, producing the types of paper bags used
today. In 1905, machinery was invented to automatically produce
in-line printed paper bags.
With the development of the glued paper sack, the more expensive
cotton flour sacks could be replaced. But a sturdier multiwalled
paper sack for larger quantities did not replace cloth until 1925,
when a means of sewing the ends was finally invented.
Another important use of paper in packaging came with the
development of paperboard -- the kind of paper that packages a box
of cereal. The first paperboard carton -- often called a cardboard
box -- was produced in England in 1817, more than two hundred years
after the Chinese invented cardboard or paperboard.
Another common form of "cardboard" based on corrugated paper
appeared in the 1850s. Basically, this form of cardboard is made
from thin sheets of paperboard that are molded into a wavy shape
and then "faced" or sandwiched between two flat sheets of
paperboard. The strength, lightness, and cheapness of this material
make it very useful for shipping and storing. However, replacing
wooden crates with the new paper alternative would prove to be
something of a battle. Nevertheless, about 1910, after much
litigation between manufacturers and the railroads, shipping
cartons of faced corrugated paperboard began to replace self-made
wooden crates and boxes used for trade. Today, cardboard boxes --
more accurately called "C-flute corrugated paperboard cartons" --
are used almost universally for product shipping.
As with many innovations, the development of the carton was
accidental. Robert Gair was a Brooklyn printer and paper-bag maker
during the 1870s. While he was printing an order of seed bags, a
metal rule normally used to crease bags shifted in position and cut
the bag. Gair concluded that cutting and creasing paperboard in one
operation would have advantages; the first automatically made
carton, now referred to as "semi-flexible packaging," was created.
Such folding cartons or "tubular cartons" dominate the dried,
processed food market.
The development of flaked cereals advanced the use of paperboard
cartons. The Kellogg brothers were first to use cereal cartons. The
Kelloggs operated a sanatorium at Battle Creek, Michigan. They
developed flaked cereals as a health food for their patients, but
soon began marketing this new food product on a mass scale. Their
original packaging was a waxed, heat-sealed bag of Waxtite wrapped
around the outside of a plain box. The outer wrapper was printed
with the brand name and advertising copy. Today, of course, a
plastic liner protects cereals and other products within the
printed carton. Some cereal manufacturers have attempted to sell
cereal in flexible pouches, like snack foods. However, U.S.
consumers have only marginally accepted cereals in a pouch only, so
we continue to see a bag-in-box format for cereals.
Paper and paperboard packaging increased in popularity
throughout much of the 20th century. Then with the advent of
plastics as a significant player in packaging (late 1970s and early
1980s), paper and its related products were replaced in many uses.
Lately that trend has slowed as designers have tried to respond to
the perception that plastic is environmentally unfriendly. The fact
is that decreasing that amount of material in packaging is usually
more important than the composition of the package to get the most
environmentally friendly form of packaging.
Glass
Although glass-making began in 7000 B.C. as an offshoot of
pottery, it was first industrialized in Egypt in 1500 B.C. Made
from base materials (limestone, soda, sand and silica), which were
in plentiful supply, all ingredients were simply melted together
and molded while hot. Since that early discovery, the mixing
process and the ingredients have changed very little, but the
molding techniques have progressed dramatically.
At first, ropes of molten glass were coiled into shapes and
fused together. By 1200 B.C., glass was pressed into molds to make
cups and bowls. When the blowpipe was invented by the Phoenicians
in 300 B.C., it not only speeded production but allowed for round
containers. Colors were available from the beginning, but clear,
transparent glass was not discovered until the start of the
Christian Era. During the next 1000 years, the process spread
steadily, but slowly, across Europe.
The split mold, which was developed in the 17th and 18th
centuries, further provided for irregular shapes and raised
decorations. The identification of the maker and the product name
could then be molded into the glass container as it was
manufactured. As techniques were further refined in the 18th and
19th centuries, prices of glass containers continued to decrease.
Owens invented the first automatic rotary bottle-making machine,
patented in 1889. Suddenly, glass containers of all shapes and
sizes became economically attractive for consumer products, and
from the early 1900s until the late 1960s glass containers
dominated the market for liquid products. A typical modern
bottle-making machine automatically produces 20,000 bottles per
day.
While other packaging products, such as metals and plastics,
were gaining popularity in the 1970s, packaging in glass tended to
be reserved for high- value products. As a type of "rigid
packaging," glass has many uses today. High weight, fragility and
cost have reduced the glass markets in favor of metal and plastic
containers. Still, for products that have a high quality image and
a desire for high flavor or aroma protection, glass is an effective
packaging material. The packaging glass used today is the only type
of glass accepted in US recycling programs.
Metals
Ancient boxes and cups, made from silver and gold, were much too
valuable for common use. Metal did not become a common packaging
material until other metals, stronger alloys, thinner gauges and
coatings were eventually developed.
One of the "new metals' that allowed metal to be used in
packaging was tin. Tin is a corrosion-resistant metal, and
ounce-for-ounce, its value is comparable to silver. However, tin
can be "plated" in very thin layers over cheaper metals, and this
process made it economical for containers.
The process of tin plating was discovered in Bohemia in 1200
A.D., and cans of iron coated with tin were known in Bavaria as
early as the 14th century. However, the plating process was a
closely guarded secret until the 1600s. Thanks to the Duke of
Saxony, who stole the technique, it progressed across Europe to
France and the United Kingdom by the early 19th century. After
William Underwood transferred the process to the United States via
Boston, steel replaced iron, which improved both output and
quality. The term 'tin can' referred to a tin-plated iron or steel
can and was considered a cheap item. Tin foil also was made long
before aluminum foil. Today many still refer to metal cans as 'tin
cans' and aluminum foil as 'tin foil', a carryover from times well
past.
In 1764, London tobacconists began selling snuff in metal
canisters, another type of today's "rigid packaging." But no one
was willing to use metal for food since it was considered
poisonous.
The safe preservation of foods in metal containers was finally
realized in France in the early 1800s. In 1809, General Napoleon
Bonaparte offered 12,000 francs to anyone who could preserve food
for his army. Nicholas Appert, a Parisian chef and confectioner,
found that food sealed in tin containers and sterilized by boiling
could be preserved for long periods. A year later (1810), Peter
Durand of Britain received a patent for tinplate after devising the
sealed cylindrical can.
Since food was now safe within metal packaging, other products
were made available in metal boxes. In the 1830s, cookies and
matches were sold in tins and by 1866 the first printed metal boxes
were made in the United States for cakes of Dr. Lyon's tooth
powder.
The first cans produced were lead-soldered by hand, leaving a 1
1/2-inch hole in the top to force in the food. A patch was then
soldered in place but a small air hole remained during the cooking
process. Another small drop of solder then closed the air hole. At
this rate, only 60 cans per day could be manufactured.
In 1868, interior enamels for cans were developed, but double
seam closures using a sealing compound were not available until
1888.
Aluminum particles were first extracted from bauxite ore in 1825
at the high price of $545 per pound. When the development of better
processes began in 1852, the prices steadily declined until 1942,
when the price of a pound of aluminum was $14. Although commercial
foils entered the market in 1910, the first aluminum foil
containers were designed in the early 1950s while the aluminum can
appeared in 1959.
The invention of cans also required the invention of the can
opener! Initially, a hammer and chisel was the only method of
opening cans. Then in 1866, the keywind metal tear-strip was
developed. Nine years later (1875), the can opener was invented.
Further developments modernized the mechanism and added
electricity, but the can opener has remained, for more than 100
years, the most efficient method of retrieving the contents of a
can. In the 1950s, the pop top/tear tab can lid appeared and now
tear tapes that open and reseal are popular.
Collapsible, soft metal tubes, today known as "flexible
packaging," were first used for artists paints in 1841. Toothpaste
was invented in the 1890s and started to appear in collapsible
metal tubes. But food products really did not make use of this
packaging form until the 1960s. Later, aluminum was changed to
plastic for such food items as sandwich pastes, cake icings and
pudding toppings.
Plastics
Plastic is the newest packaging material in comparison with
metal, glass, and paper. Although discovered in the 19th century,
most plastics were reserved for military and wartime use. Plastics
have become very important materials and a wide variety of plastics
have been developed over the past 170 years.
Several plastics were discovered in the nineteenth century:
styrene in 1831, vinyl chloride in 1835, and celluloid in the late
1860s. However, none of these materials became practical for
packaging until the twentieth century.
Styrene was first distilled from a balsam tree in 1831, but the
early products were brittle and shattered easily. Germany refined
the process in 1933 and by the 1950s styrofoam was available
worldwide. Insulation and cushioning materials as well as foam
boxes, cups and meat trays for the food industry became
popular.
Vinyl chloride, discovered in 1835, provided for the further
development of rubber chemistry. For packaging, molded deodorant
squeeze bottles were introduced in 1947 and in 1958, heat
shrinkable films were developed from blending styrene with
synthetic rubber. Today some water and vegetable oil containers are
made from vinyl chloride.
Celluloid was invented during the American Civil War. Due to a
shortage of ivory, a United States manufacturer of billiard balls
offered a $10,000 reward for an ivory substitute. A New York
engineer, John Wesley Hyatt, with his brother Isaiah Smith Hyatt,
experimented several years before creating the new material.
Patented in 1870, "celluloid" could not be molded, but rather
carved and shaped, just like ivory.
Cellulose acetate was first derived from wood pulp in 1900 and
developed for photographic uses in 1909. Although DuPont
manufactured cellophane in New York in 1924, it wasn't commercially
used for packaging until the late 1950s and early 1960s. In the
interim, polyethylene film wraps were reserved for the military. In
1933, films protected submarine telephone cables and later were
important for World War II radar cables and drug tablet
packaging.
Other cellophanes and transparent films have been refined as
outer wrappings that maintain their shape when folded. Originally
clear, such films can now be made opaque, colored or embossed with
patterns.
One of the most commonly used plastics is polyethylene
terephthalate (PETE). This material only became available for
containers during the last two decades with its use for beverages
entering the market in 1977. By 1980, foods and other hot-fill
products such as jams could also be packaged in PETE.
Current packaging designs are beginning to incorporate
recyclable and recycled plastics but the search for reuse functions
continues.
Labels and Trademarks
It now seems obvious that product containers will bear the
identification of the maker alongside pictures, nutritional
information, ingredients, etc. However, this seeminlgy obvious
feature of packaging has its own history.
In the 1660s, imports into England often cheated the public and
the phrase "let the buyer beware" became popular. Inferior quality
and impure products were disguised and sold to uninformed
customers. Honest merchants, unhappy with this deception, began to
mark their wares with their identification to alert potential
buyers.
Official trademarks were pioneered in 1866 by Smith Brothers for
their cough drops marketed in large glass jars. This was a new idea
- using the package to "brand" a product for the benefit of the
consumer.
In 1870, the first registered U.S. trademark was awarded to the
Eagle-Arwill Chemical Paint Company. Today, there are nearly
three-quarters of a million (750,000) registered trademarks in the
United States alone. Labels now contain a great deal of information
intended to protect and instruct the public.
A Review
From containers provided by nature to the use of complex
materials and processes, packaging has certainly changed. Various
factors contributed to this growth: the needs and concerns of
people, competition in the marketplace, unusual events (such as
wars), shifting lifestyles, as well as discoveries and inventions.
Just as no single cause influenced past development, a variety of
forces will be required to create the packages of the future, but a
very important factor will always be consumer choice. Ultimately,
only the packaging that our society demands is produced. We choose
by the products we purchase.
Factors to Consider When Making Packaging DecisionPackaging
decisions are important for several reasons including:
Protection Packaging is used to protect the product from damage
during shipping and handling, and to lessen spoilage if the protect
is exposed to air or other elements.
Visibility Packaging design is used to capture customers
attention as they are shopping or glancing through a catalog or
website. This is particularly important for customers who are not
familiar with the product and in situations, such as those found in
grocery stores, where a product must stand out among thousands of
other products. Packaging designs that standout are more likely to
be remembered on future shopping trips.
Added Value Packaging design and structure can add value to a
product. For instance, benefits can be obtained from package
structures that make the product easier to use while stylistic
designs can make the product more attractive to display in the
customers home.
Distributor Acceptance Packaging decisions must not only be
accepted by the final customer, they may also have to be accepted
by distributors who sell the product for the supplier. For
instance, a retailer may not accept packages unless they conform to
requirements they have for storing products on their shelves.
Cost Packaging can represent a significant portion of a products
selling price. For example, it is estimated that in the cosmetics
industry the packaging cost of some products may be as high as 40%
of a products selling price. Smart packaging decisions can help
reduce costs and possibly lead to higher profits.
Expensive to Create - Developing new packaging can be extremely
expensive. The costs involved in creating new packaging include:
graphic and structural design, production, customer testing,
possible destruction of leftover old packaging, and possible
advertising to inform customer of the new packaging.
Long Term Decision When companies create a new package it is
most often with the intention of having the design on the market
for an extended period of time. In fact, changing a products
packaging too frequently can have negative effects since customers
become conditioned to locate the product based on its package and
may be confused if the design is altered.
Environmental or Legal Issues Packaging decisions must also
include an assessment of its environmental impact especially for
products with packages that are frequently discarded. Packages that
are not easily bio-degradable could draw customer and possibly
governmental concern. Also, caution must be exercised in order to
create packages that do not infringe on intellectual property, such
as copyrights, trademarks or patents, held by others.
Chapter IICorrugated Packaging Industry
Corrugated Packaging overview Industry Info Corrugated packaging
industry overview
125 Years of the Corrugated Packaging IndustryThe booming Indian
economy and a flourishing organised retail have raised the
expectations that consumption of corrugated packaging will begin to
expand again as the number and volume of goods packaged in
corrugated increases. MNCs are demanding corrugated boxes of
international standards and the pattern of buying the packaging is
changing.
Prices of corrugated sheet and converted boxes have remained low
due to the over-capacity, manual operations and low productivity.
Besides, transport constraints and high freight costs have meant
that small to medium sized corrugated box plants are located near
the customers.
The over 4,000 corrugated board and sheet plants are highly
labour-intensive, employing over half a million people both
directly and indirectly. The industry is converting about 2 million
tons of Kraft paper into corrugated boxes. Factories are spreadout
in all parts of India, even in the remote industrially backward
areas.
This present scenario is already being challenged by the
sweeping changes that are beginning to take shape. More and more
in-line automatic plants are being set up, as corrugated box makers
gear up to meet the new demands for high precision boxes with
attractive graphics and large integrated production capacities.
Corrugation Industry .Corrugated boxes industry is a packaging
industry. Corrugated boxes are manufactured from paper. Initially
the paper used for manufacturing was obtained from wood pulp which
is known as virgin paper. Now a days, in order to reduce the
wastage and make optimum utilization of resources, recycled quality
paper is also used which is known as non- virgin paper. Boxes were
also made from bagasse (by product of sugar cane), but it was not
environment friendly. Thus, due to the above reasons recycled paper
is being largely used by the industries today to manufacture
corrugated boxes.
Corrugated boxes are required by all types of industries no
matter whether it is a large/small/medium-scale industry. They are
required by the wholesalers and retailers. Corrugated boxes are
even used by Movers and Packers. Therefore, there is a huge market
for corrugated boxes.
Chapter III
History of Corrugated Packaging Industry History of
Corrugated
950 BCThe ancient Egyptians produced the first writing material
by pasting together thin layers of plant stems..
100 BCThe Chinese created the first authentic paper from bamboo
and mulberry fibers.
1400s ADPaper mills appeared in Spain, Italy, Germany and
France
1690The first sheet paper mill in North America was built near
Philadelphia.
1767England wanted to regain their loss of colonial paper
exports. They imposed the Stamp Act, which included a tax on all
paper made in the colonies. Many consider this fuel for the
American Revolution.
1803The first continuous papermaking machine was patented.
1854In England, the first pulp from wood was manufactured
1856The first known corrugated material was patented for
sweatband lining in tall hats of Victorian Englishmen.
1871Unlined corrugated first appeared as a packaging material
for glass and kerosene lamp chimneys
1874
A liner was added to one side of the corrugated material to
prevent the flutes from stretching.
1894Corrugated was slotted and cut to make the first boxes.
Wells Fargo began using corrugated boxes for small freight
shipments.
1903Corrugated was first approved as a valid shipping material
and was used to ship cereals.
1909Rubber printing plates were developed which allowed for
greater design creativity.
1914Tariffs imposed on corrugated shipping containers were ruled
discriminatory.
1957Flexographic printing virtually replaced letterpress and
oil-based ink.
1960sThe flexo folder-gluer was invented.
Early 1980sPreprinted linerboard emerged.
Late 1980sNew developments in the anilox roll, plate and press
design drove the industry into short-run, high-graphic
products.
1991The edge crush test was added to Item 222 and Rule41 as an
alternative to burst strength and basis weight, allowing the
manufacture of lighter weight liners.
Chapter IV
Corrugated Packaging
What is Corrugated packaging Why Corrugated Packaging
Corrugation
An introduction
Corrugated board is essentially a paper sandwich consisting of
corrugated medium layered between inside and outside linerboard. On
the production side, corrugated is a sub-category of the paperboard
industry, which is a sub-category of the paper industry, which is a
sub-category of the forest products industry. Traditionally,
corrugated is best known for its structural strength that offers
protection to packaged products throughout the transportation
cycle. However, it has evolved over the course of time and today it
is a much more versatile product. It can be easily cut to any shape
and creased to fold in any direction. Thus, corrugated boards can
be further converted to produce cartons, boxes, cases, containers,
inherent fitments/ accessories such as interlockers, partitions,
dividers, pads, plates, supporters, fillers etc. which provide
internal cushioning and restrict movements. The various shapes and
forms described above are referred to as corrugated boxes for sake
of brevity.
Packaging done by corrugation helps in the movement of goods
from the manufacturer to the seller to the buyer without any
hassles of breakages, pilferage etc. Therefore the importance of
corrugation is not only to the seller but also to the buyer as it
gives a form of safety satisfaction to both.
Corrugated boxes are easy to recognize. Corrugated is made of
paper and has an arched layer, called "fluting," between smooth
sheets, called "liner." The corrugated most commonly used to make
boxes has one layer of fluting between two smooth sheets. But there
are many types of corrugated available, each with different flute
sizes and thicknesses.
Corrugated is an extremely durable, versatile, economical and
lightweight material used for custom-manufactured shipping
containers, packaging and point-of-purchase displays, in addition
to numerous non-traditional applications ranging from pallets to
children's toys to furniture.Why Corrugated?
Corrugated. It's not just a brown box.
Corrugated is a complete, high-performance material design,
manufacturing and delivery system. Corrugated is the preferred
packaging material because it is: Versatile
Lightweight
Sustainable
Environmentally Responsible
Made from a Renewable Resource
Customizable
Protective and Durable Graphically Appealing
Cost-Effective
Chapter V
Features Of Corrugated Packaging
& Raw Materials Used
Features of corrugated box
A High-Tech Engineered Material.
What may come as a big surprise to many is that the ever-present
corrugated "cardboard box" is high-tech:
Ongoing R&D programs continuously improve such
characteristics as strength-to-weight ratios, printability,
moisture barriers and recyclability.
Corrugated components, designs and end products are manufactured
on sophisticated, automatic equipment that reduces costs and
ensures consistent performance.
The vast majority of corrugated products are designed and
prototyped with advanced, computer-aided design and manufacturing
systems, providing customers with the best and most cost-effective
solutions to their packaging challenges.
Infinitely Customizable.
Corrugated offers thousands of possible combinations of board
types, flute sizes (caliper), basis weight, adhesives, treatment
and coatings, including flame retardant and static control
protection.
Corrugated is the only rigid shipping container and packaging
medium that can be cut and folded into an infinite variety of
shapes and sizes and direct-printed with high-resolution color
graphics (including lithography, flexography and silk screening).
And corrugated is not just for displays and boxes. Other uses
include low-cost, one-way recyclable pallets, retail bulk bins, and
lightweight castles that children can build themselves.
There are hundreds of basic designs and thousands of
adaptations, each chosen on the basis of proven experience and the
proposed use of the product.
Corrugated is routinely custom-designed to fit specific product
protection, shelf space and shipping density requirements
(including inner packaging that prevents shifting).
Tenaciously Protective.
Corrugated combines structural rigidity with superior cushioning
qualities. Containers, packages and pallets nest products in an
optimally protective environment, so even heavy or fragile contents
arrive undamaged.
Corrugated offers excellent tear, tensile and burst strength to
withstand shipping pressures. It resists impact, drop and vibration
damage while offering uniform stacking and weight distribution so
the load stays put, regardless of the form of transportation.
Corrugated can be designed to contain flowable, granular or
loose bulk products and even hazardous materials. It is also used
to ship liquids and fresh foods, with the addition of removable
plastic or waxed liners which serve as moisture barriers.
All this from a material that is lightweight, low-cost,
reusableand recyclable.
Graphically Appealing.
Corrugated containers and packaging are mobile billboards that
create product image wherever they travel. Corrugated displays are
eye-catching modular units that can be set up quickly and recycled
at the end of a promotion.
Corrugated is a very flexible medium that accommodates a wide
range of printing options to support the end-use requirement:
Offset lithography and rotogravure (high-volume).
Flexography or letterpress (shorter runs)
Silk screening (displays)
Corrugated can be direct printed in plant or manufactured with
high-end process color graphics.
Preeminently Cost-Effective.
One of the least expensive containers ever developed, the
overall cost of corrugated shipping containers is usually between
one percent and four percent of the value of the goods they
carry.
The cost of labor and tools required to produce, fill, and move
the container is low. The cost of shipping is low, due to lower
weights and higher fill densities than alternative packaging. The
trend toward lightweighting will continue to drive down shipping
costs. Low raw material costs and mass production of corrugated
containers makes them particularly cost-efficient.
The ultimate contribution to cost reduction is when corrugated
is used as an all-in-one shipping, storage, advertising and display
medium - a growing trend both in warehouse and other retail
stores.
Environmentally Responsible.
Corrugated, made from a natural renewable resource, has a great
environmental record. Corrugated is frequently manufactured using
high percentages of secondary fiber (including old corrugated
containers, kraft, old newspapers and even straw), thereby
diverting these materials from the municipal solid waste
stream.
In 2005, 24.7 million tons of corrugated were recovered and
recycled in the U.S. -- that's 76.6 percent of all containerboard
produced in the same year. Corrugated has the best recycling rate
of any packaging material used today. And that's what happens after
the corrugated box has been used and reused time and time again to
store and move items around the home, store and office.
In addition, the use of corrugated constructions with
high-performance linerboard has led to a significant overall
reduction in basis weight and a significant source reduction of raw
materials.
Water-based inks are now used almost exclusively for printing
graphics on corrugated containers, avoiding the use of lead-based
inks and solvents which pollute the air and the water used to wash
down printing equipment between color changes.RAW MATERIALS
1 Craft paper: Craft paper used is recycled paper. The quality
of the craft paper depends upon the burst factor( BF). This burst
factor is of A, B and semi A grade. A grade is the best quality
paper made of wood pulp. It is also called virgin quality paper.
But since it is not environment friendly, it is not used. B grade
is indigenous recycled paper of 12 BF while semi A grade is
imported recycled paper between 16- 25 BF. These two types are
called non virgin quality papers. Customers order craft papers from
these two grades and the BF entirely depends upon the customers and
so, no specific quality craft paper is recommended. Also the papers
are ordered according to the cut size or the deckal as we know it
in the corrugation industry. It varies according to customers
requirements. He can order accordingly. Also gram per sq.m. (GSM)
also varies in craft paper. GSM varies from 80-200. what the
customer wants depends entirely on his choice.
2 Gum: Gum is basically used for corrugating and pasting
machine. There are two different gum used for these machines. One
is corrugation gum for corrugating machine and another one is
pasting gum for pasting machine. Both are starch based. Silicate
based gum is also available, but it is hazardous to workers hands
as it contains pieces of glass. Corrugating gum used in corrugation
machine is half cooked. The reason for this is when it goes through
the heater, it gets completely cooked and fully effective. Pasting
gum is completely cooked and contains 18- 20% starch.
3 Pins: for pinning machine, pins are required. There are two
types of pins- aluminium and rust proof pins. Basically, rust proof
pins are recommended as it is cost effective and also because it
does not rust. Aluminium pins cost Rs. 50/ kg. while rust proof
pins cost Rs. 38/ kg. and 1 kg. contains around 2000 pins. Also the
wires used for these pins is MS Galvanised. The thickness of the
pin is around 16 guage.
4 Binding cloth and fevicol are other raw materials used. These
are not the main raw materials but value adding materials. Binding
cloth required in a day is 20 m.
These are some of the basic raw materials used for the
manufacture of the corrugated packaging.
Chapter VICorrugated Box Structure
All About Corrugated Cardboard Boxes
Design of Corrugated Boxes Corrugated boxes are made of
corrugated paperboard.
Corrugated paperboard has a sequence of air columns, parallel to
each other, running across the surface of the box. The air columns
serve as cushioning and the series of paper columns is what makes
the material durable.
The design of the box varies depending on the purpose of its
use. A manufacturer might choose to design corrugated boxes to be
sized and/or shaped to best suit the purpose it will be used
for.
Structure of Corrugated BoxesThere are two basic components of c
Fiberboard, also known as Combined Cardboard, those components
are:
Linerboard
Medium
These two components are made of a unique type of heavy paper,
referred to as container board.
What is Linerboard? Linerboard is the flat cardboard surface
that adheres to the medium and acts as liners.
What is Medium? The medium is the grooved corrugated paper
channels in between the liners.
The images below illustrate four kinds of COMBINED CARDBOARD:
Single Face:
A medium is glued to a linerboard. Single Wall: Similarly
referred to as, Double Face. A medium is glued between two
linerboards.
Double Wall:
Designed like a double cheeseburger, with a linerboard glued
above and below each of two mediums
Tripple wall:
Designed like a triple cheeseburger, a linerboard is glued above
and below each of the three mediums.
The purpose of FLUTES
The concept of an arch is that if shaped properly, it maximizes
the strength of the area it spans. The design of FLUTES, when
attached to linerboards in a cardboard box, adheres to this concept
by being shaped in such a manner as to allow it to withstand
immense force and extreme pliability.
The layers of flutes combine together to form an abundant series
of arched columns that act as a stabilizer in supporting heavy
loads. At the same time, the space beneath the arches of flutes
serves its purpose by acting as cushioning for whatever is placed
in the cardboard box. The linerboard attached is essential to the
upkeep of the flutes for the purpose of protecting it from damage
as well as adding to its strength.
Interestingly enough, the flutes also provide some level of
protection from abrupt temperature adjustments in its surroundings
area. Please note, to the right, the diagrams indications of the
various flute sizes currently manufactured on the market:
F is the smallest flute size shown.E is the second to smallest
flute size.C is considered the medium flute size.B is smaller than
the C size and bigger than the E size.A is the largest flute size
and most commonly used on the market.
While there are a number of new specialized flute sizes
currently being worked on for production, the ones listed above are
the most common ones available and as noted above, already on the
market for purchase. The largest and larger flutes tend to be used
for handling boxes since it can handle more pressure on top of it
and the smaller flutes are used mostly for smaller retail cardboard
box purposes.
Depending on the purpose the cardboard box is used for, various
sizes of flutes can be combined in creating the particular box in
such a manner as to cause the box to adjust its handling ability as
a result of the particular combination of different sizes of flutes
attached to the linerboard in creating the cardboard box.
Box Dimensions
Dimensions are given in the sequence of length, width and depth.
Internationally, the words length, breadth and height may be used
to express these dimensions. The dimensions of a box are described
based on the opening of an assembled box, which can be located on
the top or the side, depending on how it is to be filled. The
opening of a box is a rectangle; that is, it has two sets of
parallel sides. The longer of the two sides is considered its
length, the shorter of the two sides is considered its width. The
side perpendicular to length and width is considered the depth of
the box.
Dimensions can be specified for either the inside or the outside
of the box. Accurate inside dimensions must be determined to ensure
the proper fit for the product being shipped or stored. At the same
time, palletizing and distributing the boxes depends on the outside
dimensions. The box manufacturer should be informed as to which
dimension is most important to the customer.
Chapter VIIProduction Process of Corrugated PackagingProduction
Process
Paper for Corrugated Board
Fluting Paper(a)Recycled:Made from recycled paper. The fibre
content, quality and hygiene is vary. With certain process this
recycled paper could match the semi-chemical fluting it is more
abrasive. (b)Semi-Chemical: Made from virgin fibre hardwood &
mixed with recycled paper (