Cartons are something we often need to use, especially now that there is more and more demand for online shopping, and a large number of cartons are needed to transport express delivery, so many express companies need to customize a large number of express boxes, so the manufacturers that currently make cartons are also increasing in numbers. There are more and more carton plants, so are you curious about the production process of the carton plant? What problems should we pay attention to? Next, the editor will introduce you one by one, hoping to help you.

1. What is a carton plant?

A carton plant is a factory that produces cartons. The raw material for making cartons is of course pulp. There are many materials that can be used to make pulp. Such as straw, wood, waste paper, wheat straw, etc. can all be used as raw materials for pulp. After these materials are pulped, they are made into paper and then pasted into cartons. The entire program is complete.

2. How is the grade of the carton plant divided?

There are three levels of carton plants, and each of them has different features. Here we would like to make a brief introduction of these plants to you.

First-level factory: can make paper (paper machine), can produce corrugated cardboard (corrugated cardboard production line), can process corrugated cardboard into cartons (printing, slotting, nailing, etc.)

Secondary factory: can produce corrugated cardboard (corrugated cardboard production line), can process corrugated cardboard into cartons (printing, slotting, nailing boxes, etc.), compared with the first-level factory, there are fewer papermaking machines

Third-tier factories: Buy corrugated cardboard from first-tier or second-tier factories to process cartons, which is the first choice for investors to start a business with a small amount of investment.

How is the grade of the carton plant divided

3. What is the process of operating a carton plant?

The following is the production process of the carton plant:

1) Order

Cartons are also customized products. After receiving the order, it is determined which kind of paper the customer wants. The surface paper is divided into white and kraft paper, and the bottom paper is generally kraft paper. The weight is chosen by the customer. There are several layers of corrugated paper in the middle, including A, B, E, and corrugated. See which one or several types are produced by your own plant.

2) Production of cartons

The order-receiving personnel calculate the size and place the order to the workshop to produce the cartons required. Some carton factories belong to first-class factories, and they do everything from base paper production to cardboard by themselves. Some carton factories purchase cardboard from outside manufacturers. They do not need to produce cardboard by themselves, they only need to place an order for the corresponding size from other manufacturers. The produced cardboard shaking head parts are all pressed. At that time, you only need to print directly.

3) Prepare the printing plate

The cardboard is produced well and needs to be printed. Where do the printed words or pictures come from? Generally, large factories have their own printing rooms, and the staff in the printing room will engrave the plates themselves. There are also some printing factories that process outside, just need to take the carton sample to the engraving company, and the engraving company can engrave the plate according to the sample. After production, it is sent to the carton plant. The resin version is commonly used at present. Of course, the engraving efficiency of your own company will be higher.

4) Printed cardboard

Generally, the cartons are watermarked, and the color is relatively single. Generally, one or two colors are in the middle. Color printing is generally more than four colors. Before printing the cardboard, the machine needs to be adjusted according to the size, and one or two pieces need to be printed to check the printing content and color size. The cardboard printing machine can slot at the same time, which is the most important item in the production process.

5) Glue or staple the carton

After the cardboard is printed, the next step is to close the two ends of the cardboard. Whether it is glued or nailed depends on the customer’s requirements. Bonding is to manually glue the two ends together with special glue. For nailing, you need to use a stapler to nail the two ends together. If it is a special-shaped carton, it is not like shaking your head up and down. It requires one more process, opening the mold, and after printing, it is made into a special shape by a die-cutting machine.

6) Pack and store

The last step is to pack. When packing, five or ten boxes are usually used as a group, and they are packed with a packing machine. According to the order quantity, the cartons are put into storage and wait for the customer to pay for the delivery.

What is the process of operating a carton plant

4. What are the precautions for carton plants?

The following are the safety issues that carton factories need to pay attention to:

  •  The layout of the production workshop should be closely combined with the requirements of the production process, hygiene, fire protection, and explosion protection.
  • The stacking height of the produced cardboard and cartons shall not exceed 2 meters; the separation of people and vehicles, and smooth roads;
  • In places prone to failure and high flammability, eye-catching safety colors and safety signs should be configured;
  • The location of the fire extinguisher and the escape route must be clear;
  • The warehouse for storing cartons must have a strict management system and fire safety measures. Base paper, ink, and fuel oil should be stored at intervals with protective walls.
  • The general transportation channel is 2.1m-3.3m wide, which is convenient for forklift employees to pass through.
  • Due to the characteristics of the carton production plant industry, the general production site is relatively large, and the cardboard and cartons generally stacked are large in size and high in height, which likely affects the lighting of the workshop.

If a friend wants to run a carton plant, you can take a good look at the content introduced above, it may be helpful to you.

5. What equipment is needed for the carton plant?

The most basic equipment in a carton plant is: a paper separating and creasing machine, printing machine, slotting machine, and nailing machine (folder gluer), these four kinds of equipment are the most basic and necessary equipment.

Among them, the paper-separating and creasing machine is divided into ordinary paper-separating and creasing machines and thin-knife paper-splitting and creasing machines.

Printing machines are further divided into chain slotting machines, leading edge suction printing machines, single-color, two-color, three-color, and four-color printing machines, etc.

The slotting machine is divided into ordinary and rotary, manual feeding, and automatic feeding.

The nail box machine is divided into manual paper feeding and automatic paper feeding. The box gluer corresponds to the nail box machine.

Customers can purchase and customize according to specific conditions, but for friends who have just started the factory and do not invest a lot, it is recommended to purchase ordinary complete sets of equipment first, and then consider adding automatic equipment after a certain development scale.