Before the Box

Packagers and converters understand the "moment of truth," when a text or graphic element found on a product's packaging helps prod a consumer to make a purchase. When it comes to folding cartons, it could also be a uniquely shaped box, a strategically positioned foil stamp, or an attractive varnish.

Making these decisions—mostly subliminally—consumers don't consider where the carton came from or why it looks the way it does. Yet before it was a box on a shelf, a series of intricate steps turned what was once a sheet or roll of paperboard into a finished product.

The starting line

Like most packaging jobs, creating a folding carton requires strong communication between the equipment supplier and the converter. Ulrich Kretzschmar, a product and business development manager for RotoMetrics, says there needs to be an understanding of exactly what the customer wants to produce. It is vital for both parties to agree on the type of paperboard being used and the project's expected run length, because each impact the life of the die used for the carton. This, says Kretzschmar, helps determine which type of die the customer should use.

When working with RotoMetrics, for instance, the converter provides a sample or profile of the carton and the die layout. RotoMetrics makes rotary dies, so the next step is deciding whether a solid rotary or a flexible die should be used. Depending on the application and type of press, other suppliers might require a steel rule die.

On rotary systems, solid dies are generally best for cutting thicker paperboard while flexible dies are better for thinner substrates and shorter runs.

"Flexible tools are also an efficient way to deal with shorter run lengths, especially with respect to changeover times and lower tooling costs, while still offering a reasonable die life," Kretzschmar explains.

Once a die is manufactured and sent to the customer, the actual finishing can begin. David Henke, general manager of Mimir Flexo Printing, a Missouri-basedproducer of a variety of packaging, including folding cartons, says once the printing is complete, the key to the next step is in the delivery.

"We'll put the die in place and the job is diecut, scored, stripped, and delivered all in one station," describes Henke. "Then it comes out on a conveyor so that one or two people can be packing them in a box or onto a skid to go to a folder-gluer."

An important aspect of the finishing process is optimizing tooling costs. Henke explains that among the reasons Mimir Flexo uses rotary dies is that the diecutting can be done for little additional cost, aside from the cost of the die.

"Your press bills at $X an hour," he says. "The setup takes a little longer because you have to put a die in, but once you do that and you're printing and cutting, the diecutting's free."

Short run solutions

As with much of the packaging industry, short runs are leading to changes in how customers and suppliers approach their business. And for one equipment provider, creating short run solutions has become an integral part of its mission.

Marcus Tralau, CEO of KAMA, a Dresden, Germany-based designer and manufacturer of automatic diecutters, hot foil stamping products, and folder-gluers, says his company makes a point to not compete at all in the long-run sector. In fact, many of KAMA's flat-bed systems are placed with digital print engines from HP and other press makers that are staking out territory in the short-run folding carton space.

"We do not compete in and do not address the long runs," Tralau affirms. "That might be the biggest market in the folding carton industry, and if you work with Proctor and Gamble or L'Oreal, they usually ask for millions or tens of millions of boxes. But there is a growing market for small quantities."

For example, one KAMA customer on the east coast of the United States recently received an order for approximately 50 million boxes. While that may seem tailor-made for a long run, the job required some 2,000 different SKUs. And because the total order was to be delivered throughout the year, the run length dipped to about 2,000 cartons per SKU per month.

"The converter [then] has two choices," says Tralau. "He can make it very cost effective and run the 50 million in January and deliver from stock. But what happens if the brand owner changes the text or color in July? Then half of the stock is wasted."

Tralau says the other major element in the short-run sector is variable data. When constructing folding cartons for the pharmaceutical industry, for example, the boxes may contain the same product, but each one may need to have different information printed on it.

Tralau also notes that set-up time is a key criteria when developing machines for short-run finishing. Machines developed for long run production can run very fast, but "setup on a long-run machine can consume several hours," he explains. "That doesn't matter when the job will run for the next five days. Our machines are the other way around: set-up can take minutes instead of hours."

Finishing features

Trimming, scoring, gluing and folding are really the final steps. Processes that add some flash, like embossing, debossing and foil stamping, are particularly popular in sectors that value an eye-catching package. So too are decorative diecuts that reveal the contents of a folding carton. All can add value to the look and feel of the finished carton.

"People coming from beauty and healthcare are asking for integrated features like embossing to enhance the appearance of the carton and add additional features at the lowest possible cost," Kretzschmar says. "And converters want efficient tooling to allow quick changeover."

Beyond eye appeal: Braille embossing

While in many cases embossing and other procedures are done merely to enhance the look of a product, there are some finishing processes that serve a far more practical purpose.

Ingersoll Paper Box, a folding carton manufacturer in Ingersoll, Ontario, produces cartons for the pharmaceutical, food and consumer products industries. Sarah Skinner, the company's managing director, explains that pharmaceutical cartons for the European and Australian markets are required to have information printed in braille.

The company produces the braille using a folder-gluer from Bobst and a visual inspection system from Valco Melton to make sure all of the dots are in the correct location. Skinner says the inspection system is incredibly accurate in detecting any faulty braille—an essential feature since a misprint could lead to a consumer misreading the pharmaceutical's directions.

"We must make sure, because we can't read braille. We need to have a visual inspection," Skinner says. "So there's a camera that takes a picture of it to make sure every dot is where it should be and also reads it to make sure it's exactly the same as intended."

Custom Converting

As technology has advanced, there are nearly endless shapes a carton can take and the combination of finishing options can be essential to a product being chosen over its competition on the shelf.

Delta ModTech, formerly Delta Industrial, specializes in designing and manufacturing equipment for a variety of industries, including customers who produce and finish folding cartons. Jason Newville, a design engineer at Delta ModTech, says the process begins with a conversation between Delta and the customer to discuss the exact specifications of the finished product. These can include sizes, desired run speeds, and the type of stock being used.

When an application comes in, Newville and the rest of the Design Engineering Group run tests on it or send it to a die supplier to see if there are any potential issues that could occur. At that point, Newville says the team can determine whether one of its standard machine configurations could be used, or if a new one would have to be designed.

Newville explains that much of Delta's machinery is modular. "If we ever found that our standard or basic machine had a problem, we would just make design changes to accommodate that," he says. "It maybe starts as a basic machine, but it will always end up [somewhat] customized, based on each customer's needs."

This is advantageous to the company and its customers because despite each machine being built for a specific application or need, pieces can be added or removed, allowing for versatility, including the ability to add additional features as demand warrants.

Newville says some customers have asked about the flexibility of the machine, expressing concern that once the initial job is done, the entire product will need to be changed in order for it to remain useful. But Delta's machines can be easily converted.

"We look at it as not trying to build a specific machine. "We're just trying to provide the solution for whatever the need is. We want to make it so they can change the dies, or be able to add a couple extra stations for doing a certain type of work," Newville says.

Whether folding cartons are produced on conventional or digital presses, the job isn't finished until the carton is scored, trimmed and glued. The process can require a mix of machinery from multiple vendors or just a couple of machines that enable a streamlined manufacturing process from plain paperboard to finished carton. But no matter how it's done, standing apart from the competition is always the goal.

"Especially in this industry, we get asked a lot about what we think a customer should put on the machine," says Newville. "It really comes down to what's going to help them be different than anyone else." pP

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