Corrugated Manufacturing & Packaging Training Courses

Box Plant Basics - Board Tests

Corrugated boxes tend to fail in two primary ways: either by collapse under a compressive top-load created by stacking, or by rupture due to rough handling or heavy or awkward loading. Different tests can be used to predict the performance of corrugated board and corrugated boxes under these two conditions. Several other tests can be used to monitor corrugating and converting operations in box plants. This course describes several tests that can be used at box plants to predict product performance or to monitor operations. These include the box compression test (BCT), edge compression test (ECT), short-span compression test (SCT), bending stiffness, tensile stiffness, box drop test, burst strength test, puncture test, flat crush test (FCT), warp test, and pin adhesion test. It also lists the organizations which have developed standardized test methods for corrugated board and explains the importance of sample conditioning. [Discussion Points] Review sampling, conditioning, and testing procedures currently used at facility Review current crush tests with customers and determine if another test might be more appropriate or desirable

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Box Plant Basics - Box Plant Equipment Basics

This course introduces some common box plant equipment and processes, and discusses equipment layout, material flows, and storage considerations in box plants.

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Box Plant Basics - Corrugated Box Basics

Corrugated board is a popular packaging material because it is extremely durable, versatile, lightweight, and economical. It is also made from a renewable resource – wood. In box plants, corrugated board is used to manufacture boxes and other structures that can be used to package, ship, and store a large variety of products. This course will familiarize you with some common industry terms, describe popular corrugated board and corrugated box styles, and discuss corrugated box usage considerations.

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Box Plant Basics - Corrugating Adhesives

This course begins with the history of corrugating adhesives, and then describes the purpose or function of the ingredients in modern, starch-based corrugating adhesives. These include cooked and uncooked starch, caustic, borax, and water. It details the importance of adhesive viscosity and describes the bonding process at the single facer and double facer, and the many different variables that can affect bonding. It concludes with a discussion on how water-resistant adhesives are made.

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Box Plant Basics - Corrugators

A corrugator is a large machine, made up of a series of smaller machines, that combines two different kinds of paper to create cut sheets of corrugated fiberboard. The flat, facing sheets are referred to as the liners, and the wave-like, fluted layers are known as the corrugating medium, or simply medium. The corrugator takes large rolls of paper produced on paper machines, flutes the medium and glues it to the liners, one at a time, and delivers stacked, cut, and scored sheets of corrugated board to various converting machines. The converting machines convert the sheets of corrugated board into “box blanks,” which are ready to be made into boxes, and other corrugated board products.

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Box Plant Basics - Die Cutters

Die cutting is used to produce box blanks and other corrugated board products with difficult or complicated cuts and creases. Die cutters use smooth and serrated metal strips called "rule" to cut and crease the sheets of corrugated board. This course describes the design and operation of platen, rotary, and in-line sectional die cutters.

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Box Plant Basics - Flexo Folder-Gluers

This course describes the design and operation of the machine sections that make up a flexo folder-gluer, including the feed section, printing section, creaser-slotter, die cutter, glue lap unit, folding section, and delivery end.

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Box Plant Basics - Other Box Plant Equipment

To convert a piece of corrugated board that is produced on a corrugator into a box, the sheet of board must be cut, slotted, and scored into a "box blank" (the precursor to a box). Many boxes are also printed, folded, and glued before they are shipped to the customer, and some boxes are stitched, taped, or labeled, or have specialty forms and materials inserted, before they leave the box plant. This module discusses the basic operation of several converting and finishing machines that can be found in box plants, including printer-slotters, folder-gluers, stitchers, tapers, laminators, litho-laminators, presses, bundlers, and palletizers.

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Box Plant Basics - Raw Materials

This course describes wood fiber sources, chemical pulping and papermaking processes, and various glues, inks, and coatings used in the production of corrugated board and corrugated boxes.

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Box Plant Basics - Safety

There are thousands of box plants in North America which produce a large variety of corrugated board products. Each of these box plants has many safety hazards associated with it. This course will discuss safe work behaviors, equipment safety hazards, stored energy hazards, chemical hazards, emergency stops, as well as vehicle and pedestrian hazards within box plants.

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Corrugated Manufacturing Training

Box Plant Basics

Elevate Workforce Skills and Specialized Equipment Mastery with Vector Corrugated Manufacturing Training

Featured Courses

Box Plant Basics - Corrugators

Box Plant Basics - Corrugated Box Basics

Box Plant Basics - Box Plant Equipment Basics

View Box Plant Basics Courses

Box Plant Basics - Board Tests

Box Plant Basics - Box Plant Equipment Basics

Box Plant Basics - Corrugated Box Basics

Box Plant Basics - Corrugating Adhesives

Box Plant Basics - Corrugators

Box Plant Basics - Die Cutters

Box Plant Basics - Flexo Folder-Gluers

Box Plant Basics - Other Box Plant Equipment

Box Plant Basics - Raw Materials

Box Plant Basics - Safety

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