How is corrugated cardboard made?

First, let's start with the foundation - what is corrugated board? In short, it is a thick, sturdy arrangement of cards that make up the walls of cardboard boxes. It is the combination of this material that gives the cardboard a high strength and resistance to bumps, knocks and squeezes.

The cardboard that makes up it is arranged in accordion-like, twists and turns, either side of the box with strength. Secure it in place and on each side with a layer of paper, which is called a groove. It can be securely secured in place with a strong adhesive and can be made of different types of paper, such as d'or Test, which can hold the ripples firmly inside. For more information on linings and grooves, read our recent post on cardboard box handling on corrugated board and cardboard.

So when was corrugated cardboard invented? It dates back a long time - the first patented report was in England in 1856. Although it was not considered packaging material at the time, and is mainly used for other things such as hat lining!

The first recorded patents for corrugated packaging and transportation were issued in the United States on December 19, 1871, for packaging bottles and glass lantern chimneys. In the years that followed, it became a popular packaging material, and from the early 1900s on, wooden boxes and boxes were replaced by corrugated transport cartons.

With the development of this resource-rich material, cartons can be easily manufactured for reliable transport and storage, but how? The process starts with the manufacture of internal corrugated cardboard - this is done through a large machine called a corrugated machine. Cardboard is fed into a corrugated machine, heated and pressed into the hexagonal form we see above - this forms the central filler on the wall of the cardboard box. The two external liners (grooves) are then fed and securely bonded to corrugated paper using a very strong adhesive. When the glue is solidified with steam, the entire neat plank can be cut into large pieces of various sizes to form flat-packed cardboard boxes received from the packaging supplier. Contact us for specific cardboard box machines, corrugated cardboard box machines.