Corrugated cardboard - what is it? Classification, advantage, use of corrugated cardboard

Corrugated cardboard - what is it? Hearing the first time this word, not everyone will understand what is at stake. And this material is quite common in industry. Ordinary buyers meet him, buying equipment. Perhaps you already guessed what kind of material it is. Correctly! Corrugated cardboard is used for making packages. Why not ordinary and familiar cardboard? And everything is extremely simple. Special technology used in the manufacture of this material, allows you to maximally protect the contents of boxes from deformation.

Short description

So, corrugated cardboard - what is it? This is a material for the production of which paper and cardboard are used. It is worth noting that these resources are taken solely from waste paper, than by most taking care of the environment. The only drawback of corrugated cardboard is the low level of moisture resistance.

A bit of history

For the first time corrugated paper appeared in 1856 in Great Britain. Applied it as a lining for hats. And after fifteen years patented exactly corrugated cardboard. What is it, how does it differ from conventional cardboard and how did its production develop?

First of all, it consists of several equal layers, between which there is a corrugated layer. Mass production began in 1874. After this, this material quickly became popular all over the world. Currently, enterprises that manufacture corrugated cardboard, there are more than 1.5 thousand.

Classification

Now the enterprises offer a choice of several types, which differ in the structure of the sheet.

1. Double-ply corrugated cardboard. What it is? If you pay attention to the name, it immediately becomes clear that this species has only two layers: smooth and corrugated. It is marked with the letter "D". It is mainly used as a cushioning material. It has good flexibility, but low strength.
2. Three-layer corrugated cardboard is two liners and fluting, laid between them. It is marked with the letter "T". It features good rigidity and strength, it is often used for the production of packing boxes.
3. Five-layer corrugated cardboard is intended only for bulky goods and shipping containers. Production of corrugated cardboard under the brand "P" is as follows: on the front sides are flat layers of cardboard, in the middle there are two corrugated and one liner.
4. Seven-layer corrugated cardboard is marked with the letter "C". It is used more often for transportation of especially valuable and fragile things. They consist of four liners (two of which are located outside, the rest inside) and three layers of fluting.

The popularity of corrugated cardboard

Much depends on the packaging of goods. First, the packaging must protect the contents from damage of any type. In addition, it is on it is the basic information about the product, its main characteristics.

One of the most common materials for the manufacture of boxes and boxes is corrugated cardboard. It has a lot of advantages, which favorably distinguishes it from other options. Manufacturing corrugated cardboard is made from recycled waste paper, so the cost of material is relatively low. A large selection makes it possible to choose the type of density that will be optimal in a particular situation.

Benefits

Corrugated cardboard is almost one hundred percent cellulose. This makes it extremely cheap. This fact, in turn, relieves the producer of the need to raise the price of the goods in order to pay off the packaging. In addition, its wholesale purchase is also profitable. This material has proved itself due to its protective properties. A special structure allows for excellent depreciation, which ensures the safety of the goods even after the impact. Of course, the larger the corrugation and the more layers, the higher the effect will be. There are some types that can compete with plastic by their strength.

In addition, this material can be given any form. To do this, you do not need to use complex, expensive technologies: boxes of even the most intricate structure are assembled from one or several sheets (fastened together by means of staples or adhesive tape). Corrugated cardboard packaging is very light. Even the most durable box of dense material weighs so little that it can be easily raised by a child. This quality greatly simplifies the work of the movers. Also it is extremely compact. In disassembled form, the box easily fits into a small niche, and when there is a need, it is easy to return to its previous state and reuse.

It should also be said that the production of corrugated cardboard is an environmentally safe process, during which time mostly natural ingredients are used. Therefore, even if such a container is discarded, it will not cause harm to the environment, since only a few years are needed to completely decompose the material. In this case, destruction occurs naturally without the use of auxiliary means.

The possibility of re-use of raw materials (recycling) is a great advantage nowadays. This makes it possible to reduce the cost of production and the production itself.

A few words about the manufacturers

Russian manufacturers of corrugated cardboard are divided into four groups. The first includes firms that produce only raw materials: OJSC "Karavaevo", JSC "Bratsk CCC", LLC "Alatyr Paper Mill", etc.

The second group consists of full cycle production, where the process takes place from the production of raw materials to the production of corrugated cardboard. These include OAO Perm Pulp and Paper Mill, OJSC Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill, and others.

The third group includes companies that work on partial purchase of raw materials: OAO PEF Soyuz (Moscow), ZAO Stora Enso Packaging and others.

But the fourth one is the production that produces ready-made packaging from imported corrugated cardboard. An example of such a company is the Moscow cardboard and printing plant.

How to make corrugated cardboard yourself?

Make corrugated cardboard with your own hands is easy. To do this, you need to take a cardboard of different thickness, scissors, ruler and glue. From a thin sheet we make an accordion, that is, we bend the paper in the form of a fan. In order for the ribs to be slightly wider, you can lay a small bar between them. It is important that the distance between the folds is maximally the same. After that, gently first glue one side of the ribs to the dense cardboard. After that, wait until the glue dries. After waiting this time, you can proceed to the second side. This principle makes corrugated cardboard with a different number of layers.