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Home , Carton, Folding carton

WHAT ARE THE KEY BENEFITS OF FOLDING ?

Promotion of the product through visual Short production lead times enable impact at the point of sale end-users to respond to changing market conditions such as surges in volume and Creative, innovative design potential in print, the need for promotions surface texture and structural shape Efficient use of space in palletisation, Prototypes can be quickly produced effectively transportation and in merchandising at the point of sale Product protection Cartons have a favourable image with Flexibility in the specification of cartonboard, consumers as they are a familiar, traditional making and packaging operation and trusted of packaging Carton production and packing is based on Favourable environmental image – well-proven technology cartonboard is a naturally sustainable resource and used cartons can be recycled as fibre, compost or by energy recovery

34 The Carton Packaging Fact File FOLDING CARTONS

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The Carton Packaging Fact File 35 THE KEY FACTS Consumers like cartons because they are familiar, traditional, trusted and eco-friendly

Cartons create impact Carton prototypes are made and visual interest through quickly and cheaply, lead print, colour, surface design times are short and the set and shape up costs are low

Carton manufacturing and technology is well established. Cost effective manufacturing and packaging routes can efficiently handle small, medium and high volumes

36 The Carton Packaging Fact File FOLDING CARTONS

Benefits of carton packaging, How are cartons designed to • cartons incorporating special the design process, create impact and visual interest? features to facilitate opening and and carton manufacture. Folding cartons create impact and reclosing, carrying handles, pourers, The carton packing process visual interest through surface design windows and internal platforms to and carton shape. Surface design is secure and/or display the product What is meant by “carton design”? achieved in a number of ways: • shapes with tapered sides The design process is the procedure • designs with leak-proof and sift-proof whereby the specification of the • use of colour, illustrations, text and corners carton is developed. This involves its by a glossy or matt surface finish • two dimensional wallet shapes appearance, such as size, shape, by printing and varnishing • cartonboard with a plastic blister or printing, and function such as product • choice of cartonboard surface - protection and efficient performance in whiteness, smoothness and surface manufacturing, packing and use. finish (glossy, satin or matt). An How are cartons designed to hygienic effect can be created protect the product? Every carton is a specially created, on the inside of a carton, where Product protection and preservation customised design where the needs appropriate, by using a cartonboard depends on the product as well as of the product, the market and the with a white reverse side the methods of packing, distribution consumer are imaginatively met. • metallic effects by with and use within the required life span It is recommended that a checklist of and hot foil stamping of the product. the needs of the carton be established • special effects by at the start of the design process to lamination with OPP (oriented “Protection” is usually taken to refer ensure that all the required needs are ), PVC (polyvinyl chloride) to the adequate containment and evaluated during the design process. or acetate protection from breakage through • surface texture in relief using physical or mechanical damage. A major benefit of the carton design embossing, either overall or to “Preservation” means the maintenance process is that “tooling” for a new or emphasize specific text or other of the intrinsic integrity of the product. modified design is relatively inexpensive. design features This mainly refers to food products Traditional graphical and structural and those non-food products with design techniques have been Structural design of the carton shape special features, where the product is augmented with computer aided can include: in direct contact with, or in close software. This means that new concepts proximity to, the cartonboard. and prototypes can be produced for • three dimensional shapes with evaluation cheaply and quickly. rectangular or square panels The design features relating to • cartons with double thickness walls, performance include the choice of cavity walls and hinged cartonboard and its strength, which in • hexagonal, triangular, pyramidal, turn is determined by grade, circular, domed and elliptical shapes and thickness. Specific requirements may require structural features such as the need to be

The Carton Packaging Fact File 37 sift-proof or liquid tight, and provide consumable products are packed in to the surface of the cartonboard. for easy opening and reclosing. direct contact or close proximity to The inks normally used are viscous Product protection may require the cartonboard, especially where the oil-based inks which dry by oxidation. cartonboard with a products have particular preservation Specially formulated inks are also or lamination. needs in terms of maintenance of used which dry instantly on the press delicate flavours and aromas. using UV (ultra-violet) radiation. In addition to the strength of cartonboard, the structural design also contributes The properties of cartonboard can be With the gravure system the plate strength through the use of features augmented through the use of plastic comprises a steel cylinder with a such as double or cavity walled panels , surface and copper shell. The image is etched and the design of closures. impregnations - to give properties such chemically or by laser, with millions of as heat sealability, heat resistance, water tiny cells. The cylinder is then chromium How does cartonboard influence resistance and moisture impermeability, plated to reduce wear and extend the design? grease resistance and product release life of the cylinder. The ink is carried in The important features of cartonboard are (non-stick). the cells and any excess on the that it can be printed, cut and creased surface is removed with a doctor and erected into a wide range of shapes How are cartons printed? blade. The inks are solvent based and by folding, gluing and interlocking. The most common print processes dry by evaporation of the solvent using for printing folding cartons today are hot air. UV cured inks and varnishes These features are underpinned by offset lithography, gravure and are also used. the properties of the material, which flexography. In carton manufacture, in turn depend on the fibres, cartonboard is usually printed in sheet In flexography the image is raised pigmented mineral coatings and the form whilst gravure and flexographic above the surface of the plate or cylinder. method of cartonboard manufacture. printing is predominantly carried out The printing image is hardened in those on reel-fed presses. parts of the surface to which ink is to The strength of cartonboard is be applied and the material in the particularly important and this is All printing, except digital printing, non-image areas is washed away. reflected in several ways - in terms, for requires a printing surface, known The inks are also solvent-based and example, of stiffness, in creasing and as a plate or cylinder, carrying an UV formulations are also used. folding, surface strength and the image to which ink is applied. The ink resistance of the carton to compression. is then transferred to the surface of Letterpress, digital and silk screen printing Strength is important in different ways the cartonboard. are also used to a very limited extent. at every stage of printing, cutting and creasing, gluing, in storage, on the In offset lithography the plate is such packing line, in distribution, at the that image areas accept ink and point of sale and in consumer use. non-image areas reject ink. The term The choice of fibre, mineral pigment “offset” is used because the image is and other treatments should be transferred to a cylinder covered with a considered carefully wherever rubber blanket and from there it is offset

38 The Carton Packaging Fact File Which is the best process for When cutting and creasing takes possible. This achieves two important printing cartons? place from the reel the cutting and features of folding cartons. Firstly, the There is not a straightforward answer creasing may be carried out either flat glued carton takes up as little to this question. The best process with a flat forme or from a circular space as possible for storage and and type of ink and varnish for any cylinder mounted forme. In the latter transportation to the end-user (packer) given print enquiry will depend on a two separate cylinders may be and, secondly, the pre-broken creases number of interacting factors: used, one for creasing followed by enable the carton to be easily erected another for cutting. at the packing stage. • quality of printing required • run length Embossing and hot foil stamping Straight line folder gluers can also be • lead time features in a design may be carried at used to glue other designs e.g. cartons • product to be packed the same time as cutting and creasing. which form internal fitments, double • cost walls and cavity walls. As a consequence of cutting and The best advice is to discuss the creasing a certain amount of The carton maker can also produce a proposed print job with printing experts cartonboard waste has to be removed. side seam glued carton with a crash at the design stage. This is done by “stripping” and it is lock glued end and tray designs with normally carried out automatically four or six point corner gluing - all How is the carton profile produced? using a stripping unit on the cutting designs which can be folded flat for This is carried out by cutting and and creasing machine. Printed waste storage and transportation to the creasing in register with the printed produced in this way can be end-user (packer). design using a metal die. The die compacted and sent for . comprises sharp cutting rules to cut Windowing is a design option whereby the carton profile, perforations and What other processes are used in having cut a window in the blank at windows, together with slightly shorter carton making? cutting and creasing a plastic film creasing rules which have rounded Several processes can occur in carton window can be applied on a ends to indent the board surface making after cutting and creasing. windowing machine. where the creases are required. The groove of the crease is formed by The most important of these Windowed cartons are often designed having a channel cut in a special processes is folding and gluing on a with internal platforms to locate and backing material applied to machine known as a straight line display the product. These can be the cutting plate so that the board is folder gluer. The most common carton integrally created at cutting and forced into the channel. Creases are design has four panels and a fifth creasing and designed so that all the subsequently folded. narrow side seam. In the gluing panels can be folded together and the operation the side seam is glued to windowed blank side seam glued. the underside of the first (opposite) panel. At the same time the carton is folded flat and the other two creases are folded over (pre-broken) as far as

The Carton Packaging Fact File 39 There are several options whereby can be achieved at speeds of up to wax can be applied to a carton blank. 40-60 cpm. Typically fully automatic It can be applied to either one or both carton packaging speeds are in the sides. This can either be in the form of range 60-240 cpm. The highest “dry” waxing which impregnates the speed of packing is that for cartons board, though an uncoated strip can containing 20 cigarettes (sticks) where be left uncoated for subsequent there are many machines running at gluing, or “wet” waxing where 400-700 cpm and some can reach immediately after waxing the blank is speeds of 1000 cpm. plunged into very cold water thereby creating a high gloss finish. High gloss Speed alone is not the only waxed cartons can be heat sealed consideration. Depending on the after filling. Waxed cartons are used product mix and range of carton sizes for frozen foods, ready meals and required to be packed within a given ice . time, it may be that carton and/or product changeover time is a more The carton designs discussed so critical requirement which has to far are sent to the end-user glued. be met. Alternatively, some carton blanks are sent straight to the packer as “flats” Filled cartons are usually collated in usually in form after cutting groups for distribution (secondary and creasing. packaging). Various styles of pack can be used, e.g. corrugated fibreboard How are cartons packed? outer cases and cartonboard trays or Pre-glued cartons and carton flats sleeves. Groups of individual cartons are erected, filled and closed by the can be shrink or stretch-wrapped in end-user (packer). plastic film. Some types of secondary package can be designed to be Cartons can be erected, filled and “shelf ready”, i.e. suitable for direct closed by hand at speeds up to, for placement in retail display. example, 20 cpm (cartons per minute). Many operations require higher speeds and an important advantage of the is that whatever the packing speed required there is a mechanical system available. Mechanically assisted packaging with some of the operations, such as product insertion carried out by hand,

40 The Carton Packaging Fact File The Carton Packaging Fact File 41