Cardboard boxes are extremely popular packaging, practical and used in virtually the entire world. Besides all the qualities that make cardboard an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable product, it is also inexpensive and efficient, since it optimizes the logistics management of the business. To understand how and why this happens, we will have to contemplate the whole productive process behind the carton packs and that is exactly what we are going to do throughout this article. Are you interested? Then check it out!
History of paper
The paper, as we know it today, appeared in China around the year 105. The story goes that Ts Ai Lun would have created a fiber-rich pulp which, after drying, would have been the first record of paper production in the whole world. To do so, he used a mixture of water and fibrous materials, such as clothing scraps, mulberry bark, bits of bamboo, and even fishing nets. Lime was also used to aid in the defibration process. The result obtained by Lun until it did not leave to be desired in the quality question. However, as we had the opportunity to mention, the entire papermaking process was carried out in a more intuitive and handmade way. With the increase in the popularity of paper and, consequently, the demand for its consumption, quickly began to lack raw material for its production. It simply was not possible to add pieces of clothing to the production process, since there was not enough cloth. The principles used by the Chinese continue to exist even today, even though the process has evolved considerably. During the 19th century, there was a great advance in the composition of the semipas, resulting from several attempts to separate pulp from lignin (other substances present in wood). The animal glue was also replaced by the resin for better performance.
The importance of paper for industry
The importance of the role for the development of a huge variety of businesses is multiple. This happens, of course, because of the enormous advantages and facilities that the material offers the user. Cardboard boxes, for example, are inexpensive and safe packaging for the transport of goods. Its triple coating protects the contents well against physical shocks and is free of toxic products, and is ideal for the packaging of foodstuffs. On top of all this, paper has a great advantage compared to other materials: it can be easily recycled or recycled. More than an option for sustainability, recycling has become a true competitive differential in the market. It is estimated that for every cent invested in recycling, we managed to get three cents out of the cost of the final product. Throughout the production process, especially in the cutting phase, we end up generating lint and small pieces without commercial utility. All this material can go back to the beginning of the process to serve as raw material for the production of more paper. This reuse can happen up to six times without the paper losing its essential characteristics.
Process of manufacture of the paperboard
Cardboard is a raw material for the manufacture of cartons. From the plate, cuts and creases are made, allowing the product to be assembled and acquire its final shape. A simple cardboard sheet consists of three sheets of paper, which gives it strength and ability to protect the contents being transported. We will now see, in a little more detail, all the steps involved in making a carton: from the raw material to the final product.
Preparation of raw material
The raw material used in papermaking can be cellulose, recycled papers or even a mechanical pulp. The mechanical pulp consists of cellulose and lignin, from the abrasive action of the grinding wheel against the wood, causing it to be defibrated.
Folder creation
During the folder creation step, the fibrous material is placed in water solution and then undergoes a purification process, which has the purpose of ridding the compound of any type of impurity.Thereafter, the slurry is refined, resulting in the grinding of the fibers. Subsequently the material is dyed and glued with the addition of pitch or other glues. Finally, the last step is the PH correction. This procedure is necessary since cellulose is naturally alkaline and we need a neutral compound.
Sheet formation
The formation of the leaf occurs when we take some of the water saturation of the compound, causing it to take a form. This process can be done manually or with the use of tables or cylinders. The manual process consists of simply sifting through the paste, removing excess water. The other two processes involve the use of metal screens, whereby water flows when the material comes in contact with the machine.
Drying
In the drying step the paper goes through a pressing process, removing even more water from the compound. Finally, all the material passes through heated cylinders so that the rest of the water can evaporate. To finish the procedure, simply cut the dry paper in the desired format.
Cardboard sheet forming
A simple cardboard sheet is formed by three sheets of paper glued together. The two end sheets forming the surfaces of the sheet are smooth, but the middle sheet (the filling) is corrugated (hence the name “corrugated cardboard”). This effect is obtained from the passage of common paper by a machine (known as a corrugator) which presses the paper between two grooved surfaces.
Mounting the carton
To finish the process, the ready-made cardboard may need to be printed. In this case, it is applied by printing machines generally through the process of flexography (some also manage to cut and create creases in cardboard). Then, the cold adhesive is applied, which process can be manual or automated, in the latter case, the cardboard passes through an assembly line in which a machine applies glue and joins the parts to be adhered by it. If the surface of the cardboard is coated with wax, the hot glue is used. Both the paint and the glue are made are made from non-toxic materials.