The
Rigid Box Manufacturing Process
There
are three main materials used in making a rigid box; cardboard, paper, and the
filler. These three components come together in the tightwrapping machine
process that combines these materials to create your box.
Cardboard
The
cardboard provides the basic structure to your box. You determine the size of
your box by measuring the base of the box from score line to score line. This
size is normally stated as Length x Width x Height of base x Height of lid.
Don’t worry about giving the exact size of the lid (excepts it’s height) since
we will determine its size from the base and the type of cardboard you are
using to guarantee a good fit.
Cardboard
is normally described by its color and thickness. Plain board (which normally
is gray in color) is the least expensive and used for mailing boxes and other
boxes that are created more for function than appearance. White board is
normally used for decorative boxes such as jewelry boxes (most white board is
gray on the other side but this is covered by the paper being laminated to the
box). Colored board such as Black is used when you want to coordinate the color
of the paper to the color of the board. Most colored boards require larger
orders to meet mill requirements. Black board tends to be more common and can
sometimes be found for smaller runs.
The
thickness of the board is normally measured in thousandths of an inch. Most
jewelry boxes are manufactured using .030 board, while mailing boxes are
manufactured using .042 or thicker board. Normally the larger the box, or the
heavier the item that is being placed in the box requires a thicker board.
Once
you know the size of the box, the color of the board and its thickness, we
compute the exact size of the cardboard blanks that will form the structure of
the box. A die is created which will cut the individual base and lid parts out
of a larger piece of cardboard. For smaller runs a scoring machine can be used
the cut the base and lid of the box out of a sheet of cardboard.
Paper
The
best thing about a rigid box is that you have infinite combinations of papers
that you can select to wrap the box. Several paper mills (i.e. Sullivan Papers)
manufacture paper especially made for the rigid-box industry. You can also
choose a variety of fine printing papers available on the market. You must be
sensitive to the weight of the paper you choose. Paper that is too light or heavy
won’t wrap properly around the box. We can normally wrap kraft papers that are
noted as 40 lb. to 50 lb. papers. Litho or text papers are chosen weighing 55
lb. to 70 lb.
The
paper is sheeted from rolls into large sheets of paper that are then cut down
into smaller pieces of paper which correspond to the size of your box. Special
mitering machines are then used to cut the corners out of the paper so that
they properly wrap around the box.
When
you are having your boxes hot stamped, these small individual pieces of paper
are hot stamped at this point in time or for larger runs they are stamped on a
much larger sheet (multiple-out) and then cut down into the individual pieces.
When
your box is being printed, a layout is created for the bases and lids of the
box on a large sheet of paper that can accommodate multiple parts. Once the
large sheet of paper is printed, it is normally coated with a varnish or
aqueous coating to protect the images from rubbing off the paper. These large
sheets of paper are then cut into the individual smaller pieces of paper that
correspond to the size of your box.
Filler
Many
different types of fillers can be chosen for your box. Cotton is a popular
filler for costume jewelry boxes and foam is sometimes used for higher quality
items. A pad is perfect when you want to hold multiple items in place in the
box to guarantee its placement when the box is opened. Platforms are sometimes
used in the base of the box to hold a gift certificate. Vac form inserts tend
to be the most expensive and are used when you have to prop the item up in the
box.
Tightwrapping
Process
All
of the materials mentioned above come together in the tightwrapping process.
One machine will make the lid of the box, and other will make the base of the
box. In between these two machines is a conveyor belt that allows us place your
desired filler in the box and to pack up the box.
The
cardboard is first placed in a bender that bends up the four sides of the box.
The paper is placed in a gluer that coats the underside of the paper with a
thin layer of sulfur-free anti-tarnishing glue.This paper travels down a
conveyor belt to the bender where a computer picks up the cardboard and places
it on top and in the center of the paper. This semi-completed box then travels
further down the belt to the wrapping machine that presses the glued paper
around the box tightly to form a rigid box.
The
base of the box travels down a conveyor where the filler is added and then we
put the lid on top of the base and then pack the completed box in corrugated
cartons. Wasn’t that simple!
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