For the production of high-quality corrugated boxes, the management of these five most important details cannot be ignored

For the production of high-quality corrugated boxes, the management of these five most important details cannot be ignored

The critical period for resuming production and resuming production is also a good time to review the basic functions of various carton printing and processing equipment in the factory. As we all know, every company will have various types of equipment from different suppliers every day-from printing to processing, as well as cardboard manufacturing and other equipment is very common phenomenon.

In the past few years, machinery manufacturers have been rapidly providing flexo printing machines and round die cutting equipment to carton companies around the world. These carton printing and processing equipment have a stylish appearance and advanced computer control systems. The folding part and the new counting and rejecting device have been greatly improved, giving carton companies the opportunity to consistently produce various types of high-quality carton packaging at a higher speed. These new mechanical design features enable carton companies to manage tighter tolerances as a tool to meet customers with specific requirements.

At the same time, please don’t forget that there are still some machines in our factory that may have been running for more than ten years and still have the functions of manual control and operation. They may already have worn components, but we still need them to produce quality cartons and compete with the more modern equipment I mentioned earlier.

Many times, the same order will be produced on the new equipment one day, and the same order will be produced on the old equipment three days later. The size, color and printing color difference of the carton packaging must be the same, and the ECT number must also be the same, so that the customer can not see the difference.

In this highly competitive industry, we must not forget the fact that we still have to understand the basics of how to manage corrugated box manufacturing, because printing, die cutting, grooving, folding and pasting corrugated cardboard are still required and processed Suitable for transport containers passed on from generation to generation. Maybe the manufacturing method has changed, for example, the production speed has increased, but we are still providing customers with properly designed corrugated boxes. We should take a moment to discuss and review some important details:

1. Cardboard thickness and related losses in the manufacturing process

2. Ink management

3. Declination

4. Printing plate

5. Die-cutting knife version

Cardboard thickness

Managing and understanding cardboard thickness is undoubtedly a very important topic. We all know that 4.3mm C corrugated cardboard is not always 4.3mm. Make sure to check the incoming stock on each order, whether it is produced from your own tile line or from a cardboard supplier. Because the paper change is a condition often encountered by the tile line, and as the paper roll is continuously changed, the paper grade will also change accordingly. (Note: Many of the paper rolls delivered to the wet end of the tile line come from multiple paper mills across the country.)

The order may start with 35# facial tissue and end with 39# facial tissue, and vice versa. Because 39# paper is the next or available paper roll. For tile line operators, it is common practice to upgrade the paper within one order as a tool to maintain the ECT number. This is used as an insurance policy during paper replacement to ensure the performance of the carton, which can and will change the setting requirements of the pressure zone in our printing presses.

Please keep in mind that during the processing, in the non-printed area of the paper, the thickness of the cardboard may be lost by no more than 0.08 mm, and in the printed area of the paper may be lost by 0.16 mm. The status of each order should be checked regularly.

As a quality check, in the case of processing by the round die cutting equipment, the inspection should be performed when the cardboard enters the paper feed area, and when receiving paper from the counting eject unit or stacking unit. I believe that without careful inspection of the loss of cardboard thickness, a lot of money will be lost.

Ink management

This is probably the most important quality inspection we can perform when we manage the factory. Many factories do not have a correct understanding of color or ink management. When we ship the order to the customer, if the printed color of these orders is different, the customer will return the product.

The craft beer market is a good example. Because there are too many special beers to sell, the corrugated packaging is placed directly on the shelves to sell the beer, and the customers are convinced to buy it. However, the color on the packaging must match the color on the beer bottle label. Moreover, for all online shopping that occurs today, the printing on any packaging must always be consistent.

For example, Amazon is a company that enjoys an excellent freight business. It provides Amazon and Amazon Prime. Amazon charges shipping fees and uses black ink on the box. Amazon Prime does not charge shipping fees and uses black and blue ink as its graphics. This is a way to determine the type of service a company provides to customers. Therefore, printing and color management will always be an important and necessary part of the corrugated packaging business.

Declination

This is an area that always needs attention. Whether you are using a 15-year-old flexo printing device or a newly designed flexo printing device, you must ensure the squareness of the carton. Many customers use fully automated box-making equipment and need to maintain square quality packaging at all times.

We must ensure that the packaging is always made into "squares" of the same size. If the feed rollers in the feed area wear unevenly, the carton may be irregularly shaped, and the order will be returned by the customer very quickly, which is also very expensive.

In modern presses, please ensure that the operator has an active preventive maintenance plan so that you can track the condition and performance of worn items in flexo equipment and round die cutting machines. For example, the wheels in the leading edge feeder require constant attention. The front wheel always wears first and rotates between the first and fourth rows to ensure that the paper feeds into the feed roller nip completely and evenly.

Printing plate

Please save the plates and maintain them properly. These vital tools are necessary for you to clearly print, register and produce corrugated boxes that make you proud. Make sure that staff using management tools are provided with appropriate inks to maintain pH and alkalinity. After ordering, make sure to use the correct detergent to clean the plate. Please pay attention to properly change the chemical composition of the residual ink left on the printing plate so that it can be cleaned without changing the chemical composition of the photosensitive polymer printing plate material. Otherwise, a costly error may occur.

Please make sure that they are properly installed with a firm belt (non-metallic clip). Depending on the printing position on the paper, due to the incorrect installation of the printing plate, a large number of cartons with poor printing quality may be produced. Before packing too much, the operator may not find poor printing due to the outer cover of the machine. Then send these cartons directly to the shredder.

Make sure to use the correct offset when setting the platen roller pitch. With the introduction of a newly designed cover on the printing station, these requirements have not changed. Correctly setting the platen roller pitch will not only extend the life of the printing plate, but also enable you to transport better carton packaging to customers.

Die-cutting knife

Please maintain your die-cutting knife version. They need special maintenance. Please use the correct type of rubber pads in all die cutting blades. Keep enough rubber stock on the floor next to the processing equipment so that your operator can make corrections at any time.

Invite your die cutter supplier to provide training and information for your staff. If they do not provide such training and information, please find a supplier who is willing to work hard for it. This is an area in our manufacturing that causes excessive "unplanned" downtime. If the maintenance of the die-cutting blade is incorrect, it will be a very difficult cost to recover.

The management of these five details, please pay attention to the bosses of the second and third level factories!