KNOW THE TYPES OF PAPER BOXES AND ITS MATERIALS

Of the many types and packaging materials, this article only will discuss packaging with paper materials, especially to get to know the types of paper boxes and its materials. The type of paperbox that is usually used for packaging that we will discuss here is :

• ·        Folding Carton
• ·        Solid Box Board
• ·        Corrugated Box

1.   FOLDING CARTON

The folding carton created the packaging industry as it is known today, beginning in the late 19th century. The process involves folding carton made of paperboard that is printed, laminated, cut, then folded and glued before transport to packagers. The cartons are shipped flat to a packager, which has its own machinery to fold the carton into its final shape as a container for a product. The classic example of such a carton is a cereal box.

The types of materials used to make folding cartons are:

• ·        Duplex Board

This Duplex Board is one type of carton. Duplex board has its own characteristics when compared to paperboard in general, which usually consists of two colors namely white on the front and gray on the back. You could say paper is the lowest quality paperboard and the price is the cheapest compared to other types of paperboard so it is widely used as a packaging material for snacks which are usually produced in large quantities. But for some products with higher selling values, paperboard is given special treatment to add to its appearance.

• ·        Ivory Board

Ivory Board is a paperboard with a white, glossy-coated, top layer finish and a grey bottom layer. This is ideal for light-weight packaging materials that require high quality printing, particularly effective for pharmaceutical products, shoes, household goods, processed foods and consumer electronics. Ivory is particularly suitable for cartoning machine due to its high stiffness compare.

• ·        Art Board

Art Board also called as coated baper is paper which has been coated by a mixture of materials or a polymer to impart certain qualities to the paper, including weight, surface gloss, smoothness or reduced ink absorbency. Various materials, including Kaolinite, calcium carbonate, Bentonite, and talc can be used to coat board for high quality printing used in packaging industry and in magazines. The chalk is bound to the paper with synthetic viscosifiers, such as styrene-butadiene latexes and natural organic binders such as starch. The coating formulation may also contain chemical additives as dispersants, resins, or polyethylene to give water resistance and wet strength to the board. This board is usually used for premium packaging for products that have high value such as for cosmetic packaging and jewelry packaging.

2.  RIGID BOX

Available in regular and foldable styles, rigid boxes are typically used by brands for product displays at point of sale or for shipping purposes.Their construction makes for a substantial impact (a regular rigid box does not fold, but rather retains its structure while a foldable rigid box can collapse into one plane) and the customization options ensure a strong brand statement. Competitively priced, convenient to transport and easy to store, rigid boxes are a highly functional form of retail packaging.

The types of materials used to make rigid box are:

• ·        Solid Bleached Board (SBB)

This grade is typically made from pure bleached chemical pulp with two or three layers of coating on the top surface and one layer on the reverse. It is used in such markets as cosmetics, graphics, pharmaceuticals, tobacco and luxury packaging. It can also be combined with other materials to make liquid packaging board.

·      

• Solid Unbleached Board (SUB)

This grade is typically made from pure unbleached chemical pulp with two or three layers of coating on the top surface. In some cases a white reverse surface is applied. It is primarily used in the packaging of beverages such as bottles and cans as it is very strong and can be made resistant to water which is essential during the packing process. It is also used in a wide variety of general packaging areas where strength is important.

• ·        Folding Boxboard (FBB)

This grade is typically made from layers of mechanical pulp sandwiched between two layers of chemical pulp with up to three layers of coating on the top or printing surface and one layer of coating on the reverse. It is used in such markets as drinks, pharmaceuticals, frozen, chilled and other foods, confectionery and a wide range of other markets.

• ·        White Lined Chipboard (WLC)

This grade is typically made using predominantly recovered fibres. It is manufactured in a number of layers each of which use selected grades of raw materials. It typically has two or three layers of coating on the top or printing surface and one layer on the reverse. It is used in a range of applications such a frozen and chilled foods, breakfast cereals, shoes, tissues, toys and many more. It can have either a white or grey coloured reverse side.

3. CORRUGATED BOX

Corrugated box design is the process of matching design factors for corrugated fiberboard boxes with the functional physical, processing and end-use requirements. Packaging engineers work to meet the performance requirements of a box while controlling total costs throughout the system.

Corrugated box composed of two main element :

A. Medium

Medium, in the center (corrugated) material, also called “corrugated medium”, corrugated fiberboard is a material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards.The corrugated medium sheet and the linerboard(s) are made of kraft containerboard, a paperboard material usually over 0.01 inches (0.25 mm) thick.

Corrugated medium has 4 types as following picture :

A medium corrugated sheet can be made of different thicknesses to manipulate the ease of printing, the strength of pressure and the strength of protection. The table below provides an outline in terms of size, quality, and use of each type of flute

A-flute = 36 flutes / linear foot

B-flute = 49 flutes / linear foot

C-flute = 41 flutes / linear foot

E-flute = 90 flutes / linear foot

F-flute = 128 flutes / linear foot

B. Linerboard

Linerboard is the flat outside sheets of paper that are glued to the medium. Linerboard is thick, rigid paper that is used to form the external faces of corrugated products and provide resistance to vertical loads. 

Linerboard is offered in two lines:

• ·        Kraft linerboard (virgin fibre)
• ·        Natural brown or recycled white linerboard (recycled fibre)

After the process of lamination, Cutting-Creasing, and Folding-Gluing in the two materials a corrugated box was formed. Packaging can be given the printed image and text directly on the linerboard with the flexo printing technique. To get Corrugated Box with a more quality and eye catching appearance, it can be done by offset printing on sheets of paper to then dillaminate the corrugated sheet before the cutting-creasing process and folding gluing.

Andry Yuniadi

Sales, Marketing and Business Development Professional, Geology Lover, Traveler

June 26, 2019