Pkg Solutions
Quality Glossary
General Paperboard Manuf.
A brief
outline of the manufacture of a corrugated pack, from when the raw
material enters the plant to when the completed cases leave it, will now
be given before entering into each section of the plant in more detail.
GENERAL PROCESS
- RAW MATERIALS
- CORRUGATOR
- SECONDARY PROCESSES
- DISTRIBUTION
RAW MATERIALS
The paper which is used is may be made from virgin
Kraft fiber or recycled Test liner. An individual reel may be up to 2 tons in weight, 2450mm (8 feet) in width
and 4 1/2 miles in length.
CORRUGATION
The corrugator is the machine which fabricates the corrugated boards. It
also cuts it into the overall widths and lengths required for the various
orders.
By using different types of paper across a wide range of basic weights
(usually measured in either lbs per 1000 square feet or grams per square meter), this machine can produce hundreds Of
different strengths of corrugated board, exactly meeting the packaging
requirements of any customer wishing to use corrugated board. The
fabrication process is very simple in principle. Initially, two reels of
paper are fed into the machines. One of these is a "liner", the
other is a corrugating medium. The corrugations, or flutes are impressed
on the corrugating medium and delicately glued to the liner. The next
process is a further gluing operation, which joins these two sheets with a
second liner.
In order to assist the bond and to dry out the board it then passes over
a hot section. It is then cooled, cut into widths and lengths and
distributed around the plant for further processing. For heavier, stronger
board ('twin' board, is used more demanding industries) the machine can
handle five reels (three liners end two fluting media) at once.
SECONDARY MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
Casemaking machines - these will print in usually one, two, three or four colors flexographically, cut-out
the slots, fold and glue the cases. When a batch of cases has passed
through one of the Casemakers, all that remains to be done is palletization
and distribution.
Printer-slotters - these machines will neither fold nor glue,
but they will cut out slots and print flexographically, like the Casemakers.
Die-Cutting - certain cases, especially those designed for
display purposes, require to be cut to very intricate shapes. For this
purpose, the die-cutting machines, some of which also print, are used.
Die-cut cases often do not require further processing, as they may be
designed to fold-up and lock, providing their own structural strength.
Fitments and Division-Assembly - Customers who package
glassware, bottled commodities, etc. sometimes require divisions within
the cases in order to give the products greater security in transit and
storage. In this section of the factory the divisions, which have been cut
to size, are slotted and assembled. Internal fitments such as pads and
liners are also produced here.
Case joining - in this section of the factory the cases are
stitched, glued or finished in some other method, as required. This
section also includes the palletizing press. From here, the pallet loads
of cases are taken to the warehouse and subsequently dispatched.