Due to fierce market competition, the appearance of products has become more and more important, and folding cartons packaging has become one of the best options. In general, it is made of cardboard or corrugated board, which are lightweight, widely available, and have excellent environmental characteristics. If you want to learn more, check out the following post.
History
Carton production was traditionally carried out by hand, using tacks and string, which could only be used for high-value goods due to the long production time and high cost. A production accident led to the invention of the folding carton. As a result of a worker’s mistake, Robert Gale’s company in Brooklyn, New York, was inspired to fuse a printer with a die-cutting machine in 1870. They then validated their idea by creating linked production machines that enabled the mass production of folding cartons. A cookie company, Nabisco, applied this packaging to their products in 1897. If I tell you that the best-selling cookie Oreo is their product, then you must be familiar with it. Over the years, folding carton technology has been constantly updated, and it has been used extensively in a wide range of industries.
Process and material
Folding carton is usually produced from cardboard or corrugated board, however, the term is usually used to describe boxes made of cardboard. After printing and die-cutting, cardboard boxes can be folded directly into shape without the need to laminate them. If color printing is required on boxes made of corrugated cardboard, they usually need to be laminated. I will also discuss folding boxes made from cardboard in the following paragraphs. I have written another article about corrugated boxes if you are interested.
Types of cardboard: The most commonly used cardboards are white cardboard, black cardboard, gold cardboard, platinum cardboard, silver cardboard, laser cardboard, kraft cardboard, etc. Their smoothness allows them to produce a better printing effect. In most cases, the paperboard weight should be between 200 grams and 450 grams. If the weight is less than 150 grams, the board can not be able to provide adequate support.
Design and layout – printing – laminating (optional) – die cutting machine forming – gluing or direct assembly are the basic steps involved in making a folding carton. In addition to the basic production process, it can also be finished with foil stamping, UV spot printing, lamination, and other common surface printing effects.
Style of folding cartons
To make it easier for you, I have selected the 9 most common types of folding boxes for your reference. There are hundreds of types of folding boxes currently available on the market, so I will not cover them all here.
1. Straight tuck box
The top part is locked in the same way as the bottom part. Easy to pack and suitable for light weight goods.
2. Tuck top boxes
Corrugated board is the most common material for this type of box. It has three layers of boards on both sides and a double layer at the front, which makes it resistant to pressure and buffering, and it’s good for transportation, so it’s often used for express packaging.
3. Lock bottom box
It usually has a tuck top and a lock bottom. The flaps push against each other to lock the bottom. It has good load-bearing properties because of this locking structure.
4. Top and bottom box
it have a cover box and a bottom box with an upper large, lower small structure. Cover and bottom boxes are double-layered, and when they’re snapped together, they’re four-layered, so it’s very pressure-resistant.
5. Drawer box
It is also a two-piece structure. Since it has a drawer function, it is very convenient to open. When you need to use the box, simply pull out the drawer box.
6. Hanger box
This box has a similar structure to the straight tuck box, with an additional back plate with holes for hanging on the hook.
7. Crash bottom box
Another lock bottom box with superior load-bearing, but a different locking method.
8. Carrying box
Its carrying handle makes it easier to pick up, and it is frequently used to package desserts and other foods.
9. Display box
By using an open design, goods can be displayed better and consumers have better access to them. Moreover, it has a larger display area for printing more information, which makes it more attractive to consumers.
Use of folding box
Folding cartons are one of the most mature market segments within the paper packaging industry. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to work with, and environmentally friendly. They are rapidly developing and are widely employed in tobacco, food, pharmaceuticals, daily chemicals, and other fields related to people’s lives, and the demand is increasing. As a result, over the past few years, the use of folding cartons worldwide has been increasing at a rate of between 3% and 6% per year.
