Navigating the world of corrugated box production involves understanding specific industry jargon. This can sometimes lead to confusion during communication. This guide details the essential terminology used in the box manufacturing process, especially concerning Short Run Box Making Machines.
1· Slotting
Slotting refers to the process of cutting a long, narrow strip, approximately 7mm wide, into the carton flaps. The purpose is to facilitate easier, more convenient, and neater folding of the box.
The slotting width is chosen based on the board’s thickness. Standard 3-ply and 5-ply boards typically use a 7mm slot. For heavy-duty cardboard, like AA flute board, a wider slot of 14mm or 16mm is required. For AAA flute cardboard, the slotting width can be as wide as 21mm.
Aopack’s BM3000-HD Heavy Duty Corrugated Box Maker offers adjustable slotting widths from 7mm to 21mm. We provide various slotting knife lengths, including 650mm, 500mm, 350mm, and 250mm, with a 500mm knife as the standard configuration. For slotting lengths exceeding the knife size (e.g., 1200mm), our machine’s automated program can perform multiple passes to achieve the required length seamlessly, without any need for manual intervention.
2. Scoring
In box making, Scoring means pressing a straight, indented line horizontally across the board to enable clean folding. Typically, this scored line must align perfectly with the slotting strip.
All Aopack Box Making Machines feature an integrated Slotting/Scoring design, guaranteeing perfect alignment and boosting overall production efficiency. Thanks to their gantry-style design, the minimum distance between two scoring lines (or slotting strips) can be as small as 8mm.
This robust beam scoring system handles various board thicknesses with ease, producing a deep, clear crease without board fracture, making it ideal for customers with high-quality demands. Our machines can score boxes with a minimum height of 50mm and a maximum of 2800mm, offering exceptional versatility.
3. Creasing
Creasing involves pressing a straight, indented line vertically on the board to aid folding. A standard FEFCO 0201 box style, for instance, requires two creasing lines. These lines are impressed by creasing wheels, so the number of vertical creases a machine can make depends on its number of creasing wheels.
- The Aopack BM3000-HD has 4 creasing wheels.
- The Aopack BM2508-Pro can be equipped with up to 6 creasing wheels.
Aopack offers a range of specialized creasing wheels to suit different board types and feeding directions. A key point to note: our machines are designed with the cardboard feeding direction parallel to the flute direction. For feeding perpendicular to the flutes, we provide uniquely designed creasing wheels to ensure optimal performance.
Furthermore, each creasing wheel on an Aopack machine is independently motor-controlled. This allows for inconsistent creasing, where a straight crease line is intentionally offset at each slotting point. This advanced technique significantly eases the folding process and results in a more stable, square box that is less prone to collapsing.
4. Slitting
Slitting is the function of trimming away excess corrugated board from the sides or ends of the box blank. The Aopack BM3000-HD is equipped with 4 vertical slitting knives, allowing for up to 4 vertical cuts. An additional horizontal slitting knife brings the total to 5 cutting units. These knives work in concert to remove waste material from both the vertical and horizontal directions, defining the final box dimensions.
5. Hand Hole Cutting
Hand Hole Cutting creates rectangular or rounded rectangular openings in the box for easy handling. Aopack machines offer two methods for this:
- Hand Hole Die Cutting System: A mature solution using a custom die-cutting mould. Its advantages are high speed and low cost. The drawback is the need to change the mould for every different hand hole shape or size.
- Vibrating Knife Cutting System: Aopack pioneered the integration of vibrating knife technology from plotters into box making machines, holding all related patents and developing the proprietary control software. This system’s major advantage is its ability to cut various irregular shapes without any physical moulds. Common hand hole shapes are pre-programmed; you simply input the dimensions. It also effortlessly produces complex box styles like the FEFCO 0427 hinged lid box, which is self-assembling and requires no glue. The system can also import and automatically process CAD drawings, making it incredibly powerful and versatile.
6. Printing
Printing on boxes is crucial for branding and information. Aopack Box Making Machines integrate a flexo printing function for applying logos, warning symbols, and more. The maximum print area is 500x300mm, which requires a flexo printing template. Fully integrated into the machine’s workflow, the printing unit automatically activates after slotting, scoring, creasing, slitting, and hand hole cutting are complete, ensuring a fast and streamlined production process.
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This covers the most common terms used in the carton box manufacturing process. Stay tuned to our blog for more updates and detailed guides.
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