How Is Cardboard Made?

How_Cardboard_Is_Made_UK_Dairi-Pak

How is cardboard made?

Content: From paper to box

Have you ever wondered how the humble piece of paper is turned into a cardboard box?

Here we explain the process so you can understand what is done to create a cardboard box:

  1. Start with good quality rolls of virgin kraft or recycled paper, which are separated into different grades (for the fluting medium and the liners).

    Papers_Cardboard_Dairi-Pak

     

  2. Load the virgin kraft or recycled paper onto the corrugating machine (known as the corrugator). For single wall corrugated, three rolls make up the final corrugated cardboard– two outside liners and one fluting medium (for double wall, we use 5 papers).  Different grades of corrugated cardboard are made by combining different grades of virgin kraft or recycled paper. The fluting medium layer passes through heated rollers (these are interchangeable to accommodate different flute sizes) and the fluted ridges are created.

  3. The fluting medium layer then passes onto the single-facer glue station where one layer of outside liner is glued to the fluting medium using starch. The fluting medium and one layer of liner then pass onto the double-backer glue station where the other layer of liner is attached.
  4. All three layers then pass over steam-heated plates to cure the glue.
  5. At the end of the corrugator the corrugated cardboard is either fed onto reels or trimmed into individual sheets, depending on the requirements of the sheet plant. We receive sheets from our corrugated partner, CorrBoard UK.
  6. Making_Cardboard_Dairi-Pak

    The sheets of corrugated cardboard are then fed onto one of our family of converting machines:

    • Onto one of our die-cutting machines (if there is no printing on the box), where they are cut into the correct shape to form an elaborate die-cut box.
    • Onto one of our casemakers, where they are printed, cut, creased and folded into a regular slotted case (RSC).
  7. The boxes are then stacked and wrapped on pallets for shipping to you, our customer.

    Boxes_Ready_to_ship_Dairi_Pak

    After these boxes have been used, the process can start all over again as the boxes become recycled cardboard once again – take a look at our previous post to find out more.

    If you are interested to see for yourself how the process works, please get in touch and we can organise a visit to CorrBoard UK (Dairi-Pak are shareholders in this corrugated sheet feeder plant) to see how corrugated is made.  You can then follow the cardboard sheets and see how this is turned into boxes at our factory in Shropshire.  T: 01939 260342 or sales@dairi-pak.co.uk

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