Cardboard Manufacturing Process
Almost any product that is manufactured will be packaged and shipped in a cardboard box. However, cardboard boxes are typically manufactured as foldable corrugated sheets in specialist corrugated packaging plants as the process for making corrugated packaging is fairly complex. Corrugated sheets are formed from flutes of recycled paper, the wavy pieces of cardboard, that are held between an outer layer and an inner layer. To create the fluting effect, rolls of paper are fed into a corrugated roller machine before being stuck together to create the corrugated sheets.
From here, the fluting is fed into a corrugator, whereby hot steam is sprayed on the material as it travels through the machine and glued to the two liners to obtain single, double or triple corrugated cardboard. The cardboard is then sent to the 'dry-end' of the machine which is made up of a slitter-scorer, cutter and stacker. This part of the machine is where the cardboard is cut into the required dimensions of the final corrugated sheets with a circular saw before they are stacked into shippable bundles.
The corrugator machine can span the length of a corrugated packaging plant and has multiple sections which each perform a specific function. This machinery is susceptible to blockages and paper jams etc. As these machines pose inherent safety risks to operating personnel; one of the most cost effective ways to safeguard personnel entering the machine is by installing a trapped key interlocking system.