Bubble wrap
The above term is a catch-all phrase that encompasses a labyrinthine world of packaging products. Bubble packaging or air cellular packaging uses the air trapped inside the polythene cavities to protect products from damage. There are many grades of bubble wrap but it is important to choose a quality that can retain air over a long period of time. All bubble wrap is made from polythene. However, polythene alone offers poor air retention so it is important to use a thicker film if the bubble wrap is to have longevity. There are many grades including flame retardant, anti-static and even a Ministry of Defence specified grade. Size of individual bubbles ranges from 10mm diameter to 32mm diameter. Note that it is not possible to print on existing bubble wrap. The ink does not adhere to the poly thene and flakes off.
Chipboard/Grey board
The briefest description would be to say that these boards are made from waste paper which goes through a number of stages before it is converted into finished material.
Bales of waste paper are tipped into a large steel cauldron or pulper, filled with water, and fitted with a rotor arm. The soaked waste paper starts to break up and the turbulence produced by the rotor arm mixes the fibres with the water. Paper makers refer to this mixture of water and fibre as the 'stock'. Materials such as plastics that have got into the stock are removed. This stock is still far from suitable for the production of board. These other materials are removed through a series of cleaners, screenplates and deflakers.
The start of board formation is also the most critical of the entire production process. A factor of great importance at this stage is the ratio of fibres to water content. For the production of board the proportion is approximately 1-2% fibres to 98-99% water. The fibres and water mixture is pumped and distributed onto an endless screen or 'wire'. It is in the first few metres of the 'wire' that the board takes shape. The water disperses, and the paper fibres remain behind and bind to each other. To facilitate and speed up the de-watering, suction boxes are added to suck the water from the stock. The board still contains around 70% water.
The wet board is transported and squeezed between two presses where supporting felts soak up and remove the water. Although, at first glance the board looks more rigid it still contains 50% water.
The drying section is the last phase of the de-watering process. The board is transported over steam-heated rollers. The high temperatures enable the bulk of the remaining water to evaporate. The vapour disappears into extractors. The final board now contains an average of 92% fibres and 8% water. The board is then left in this state or is laminated or pasted to create thicker board or different finishes. The material is used for practically everthing from toilet roll cores to food packaging to book covers. It screen-prints well, though a considerable quantity of thinner is need to prevent the ink soaking in, and incredible results can be achieved through foil blocking.
Corrugated board is an extremely durable, versatile and lightweight material principally used for shipping containers, outer packaging and point of sale.
It has two main components - the liner board and the medium. The liner board is the material that adheres to the medium. The medium is the wavy, fluted paper in between the liners. This combines in single face (the liner board is mounted to one side of the medium), single wall (the liner board is mounted to both side of the medium), double wall (three sheets of liner board with two mediums in between) and triple wall (four sheets of liner board and three mediums in between).
If you look closely at the medium you will notice that it forms a series of peaks or arches. These arches are known as flutes and when anchored to liner board with a starch-based adhesive, they resist bending and pressure from all directions.
These flutes come in several standard shapes or profiles. A-flute is the largest flute profile followed by B-flute commonly used on most outer boxes used for shipping. E-flute is one of the smallest and is the most ideal material for presentation boxes with the not so widely available F-flute being the smallest.
All of these materials have very specific uses within the packaging and logistics industry but can be used for their aesthetics on more specialised packaging formats. It is the best example of a material that alludes to industrial and environmental themes and is a great substrate for box prototyping.
Rubber is available in sheet form and is principally used as industrial flooring. It has to be printed with flexible inks for obvious reasons, and mounted to board with special adhesives.
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