At present, people not only demanding good quality of product, but also pay attention to the packaging of products. On the other hand, manufacturers are also taking into account of their product packaging and seeking ways to improve the level of their brand. Therefore, the package boxes need to be in bright/good color and generous in design, good in shape, perfect in each direction look and corner, clear and smooth impression lines and no scratches or broken.
But in the real production process, there are always some thorny problems, such as some type of packaging box, when finished and closed, there is an extra little gap at the top panel/excessive opening. This problem has plagued many enterprises, it is especially true for the pharmaceutical packaging companies. Drug packaging is facing thousands of patients, if the packaging is inferior (bad quality), will directly affect the consumer trust in the products. The pharmaceutical packaging often with small size, need a large quantity, so there is some difficulty to make the packaging boxes perfect.
Combined with our actual work experience, I will try to find the factors lead to the extra little gap between the top panel and the box body/ excessive opening and provide solutions.
The factors are mainly in two aspects:
- The raw material, in this case PAPER. The using of roller paper, the moisture of paper, the direction of the paper grain etc.
- The production process. Such as surface treatment, die-cutting mold, indentation depth and the layout format etc.
If we can solve these two aspects well, the problem of carton forming can be solved accordingly.
Paper factors are the main cause of the shape of packaging boxes:
- As we known, the roller papers are mostly using in printing, and some of them are imported from oversea. For easy to storage and transport, the papers are in a roller. The roller paper will be cutting into sheets in domestic when selling. With a short time of putting as paper sheet, the paper not completely be flat, still have a tendency to curl.
Solution: Guprint normally buy a straight flat paper sheet, the situation will be much better, at least it has a certain period of storage after cutting into sheets.
- In addition, the moisture of each paper must be distributed evenly, and same with the humidity of the air and surrounding. Otherwise, the paper will deform.
Solution:GUPRINT put the paper in the room with dehumidifiers if the paper with much moisture. And in damp weather, after cutting in small sheets and before printing, will wrap the paper sheets with plastic film.
- The main reason for the excessive opening of the packaging boxes is mainly caused by the wrong direction of the paper grain. Once the opening direction of the paper grain direction parallels to the opening up the box, the phenomenon is very obvious. Because of the paper moisture absorption in the printing process, after UV polishing, polishing, coating and other surface treatment, the paper in the production process more or less to be deformed. After deformation, the tension for the surface and the bottom of the paper is not the same. So once the paper deformation, the packaging boxes have been fixed/glued on both sides, when closed, the outside panel will go outwards, then will there is the extra little gap between the top panel and the box body/ excessive opening. (How to determine grain direction of paper material)
Solution: GUPRINT have experienced worker, they can make sure produce with the right direction of paper grain.
The production process factors lead to the extra little gap between the top panel and the box body/ excessive opening and provide solutions.
- Surface treatment
In the pharmaceutical packaging, usually need UV coating, lamination, polished and other surface treatment. While lamination and polishing are high-temperature processes, the water content of the paper was significantly reduced. And these process slightly stretching the paper, will lead to part of the paper fiber brittle, most of the paper will be deformed after surface treatment. If 300g cardboard or thicker, lamination with a water-based machine, paper stretching situation is more obvious, generally 2-3mm.
Solution: Artificially correct the bending phenomenon caused by lamination.
The polishing temperature should not be too high, GUPRINT generally controlled below 80 ℃. After polished usually pill on the pallet for about 24 hours to wait for the paper be fully cooled, then can go ahead to the next process. Otherwise, there will be burst line situation. That is the reason why some customer need the packaging very urgent, we will explain to them that we need enough time to make each process of the production all perfect.
- .Die-cutting mold
The die-cutting mold also affects the shape of the packaging box.
Though almost all manufacturers are using laser die-cutting mold, obsoleted hand-made mold.
But sometimes the anti-lock, high-low line size hasn’t set according to the thickness of the paper, or the knife type not applicable to the paper thickness, or the depth of knife not correct; all these factors affect the final shape of packaging boxes. If the die-cutting knife not deep enough, the paper fiber is not completely pressurized when die-cutting. So if the packaging boxes have been fixed/glued on both sides when closed, the outside panel will go outwards, then will there are the extra little gap at the opening position.
Solution: GUPRINT have professional laser molding machine, always make the die-cutting mold correctly according to the paper thickness. Also worker will test and modify the die-cutting mold before bulk die-cutting.
- Machine pressure and selection of strips
In order to ensure a good indentation effect, in addition to the selection of appropriate indentation line and high-quality steel knife, but also need to the adjustment of the machine pressure and choose good strip and install the mold correctly. General printing manufacturers are used to sticky cardboard to adjust the depth of indentation line. We know that the cardboard is generally loose and soft, hardness is not enough, then will result the indentation line is not very durable.
Solution: Use the quality stripe and adjust to right machine pressure.
- The layout format
Nowadays, the direction of the paper grain is basically fixed, mainly longitudinal direction is the direction of the paper grain.
And when packaging box printing, will often put several boxes in the same paper sheet（1/2,1/3,1/4 of big paper） to print together.
Generally, when printing imposition the designer will try to put as many of boxes as possible on a certain size of paper sheet, so that the manufacturer can reduce the waste of materials therefor save the cost.But if only consider the waste of material and regardless of the direction of the paper, may there are the extra little gap at the opening position when finished the boxes.
Solution: When printing imposition, make sure the layout correctly, the grain direction should be vertical with the main creasing line (longest creasing line). GUPRINT always provide solution make sure good quality and save the cost at the same time.
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