The production process of custom rigid boxes is much more complicated than that of custom folding boxes. The post-processing of folding boxes is generally by printing-surface finishing (foil stamping, lamination, spot UV, embossing, etc.)-die cutting- box gluing–inspection–packing is completed. The production process of the rigid box consists of printing–surface finishing–outer material die cutting–grey board die cutting–grey board grooving–grey board forming–outer material paper laminated–assembly–inspection–packing box complete. Judging from the process of the two products, the manufacturing process of the custom rigid boxes is complicated and cumbersome, and the process standard is much higher than that of the folding boxes.
1. The Choice of Paper
According to the customer’s document design requirements and the effect to be reflected, the choice of paper is very important. The main considerations in this regard are:
①The type of paper, such as coated paper, art paper, pearl paper.
②The thickness of the paper. The paper should not be too thick, as it is easy to wrinkle when it is thick, but it should not be too thin, otherwise the embossing effect will not be reflected.
③Consider the decorative effect of the surface.
2. Finishes
There are many surface finishing processes, the most common one is offset printing, and then various processes based on this are:
①Lamination (glossy lamination, matte lamination, soft touch lamination, scratch-resistant lamination, etc.)
② Hot stamping (gold, red gold, color gold, silver, laser, etc.)
③ Spot UV
④ Embossing and debossing
3. The Choice of Grey Board
Grey cardboard is produced from a kind of recycled waste paper. Mainly divided into single gray, double gray, full gray, according to the customer’s requirements for surface smoothness. It is an environmentally friendly packaging material, with a weight ranging from 250gsm to 10,000gsm, and a thickness ranging from 0.4mm to 20mm. There is no upper limit for thickness and weight. Usually, grey boards of appropriate specifications are selected according to the size of the rigid box.
4. Die-cutting
Die-cutting is a very important link in the manufacturing process, especially for custom rigid boxes, which have higher technical requirements for die-cutting. Precision and accuracy determine the quality of products, and slight errors directly affect the quality of subsequent processing.
5. Grooving
Grooving is to use a grooving machine to open a V-shaped groove on a grey board with a thickness of 1~4mm. Generally, a connection layer of about 0.25mm is reserved. The V-shaped groove has an angle, generally 90 degrees, 120 degrees, or according to the product structure. Grooving is a key step in the production of custom rigid boxes. Before the grey board is formed, the grey board must be grooved in a V shape, so that after the grey board is bent, the outside is straight and the inside is square, the edges and corners are clear, and the four corners match accurately.
6. Mounting
Mounting is a necessary process in the custom rigid boxes production. According to the requirements of different products, the coated paper, art paper, flannelette, and leather are glued or sprayed through a gluing machine, and they are tightly pasted on the grey board. The two are combined into one, so that the grey surface of the grey board can be changed into a new look, which not only beautifies the appearance of the box body, but also improves the added value of the rigid box.
