Introducing packaging laser cutting technology

Laser-cutting technology has been around for a while in other industries, but it has been reluctant to catch on in the corrugated boxes kraft industry. After all, cutting paper with hot lasers offers several safety concerns. Laser-cutting technology has overcome the challenges and is now ready for high-volume packaging production.

An efficient laser-cutting machine for corrugated material can attain speeds comparable to many CAD tables running concurrently. It's ideal for plant production of mid-sized orders that are too large for CAD cutting but too tiny for die-cutting.

What Should You Expect from Laser Cutting?

Laser cutting technology is based on a hot laser cutting through all corrugated faces and media (technical words for corrugated material components).

Therefore, before the laser cuts the edges out of printed sheets, fold lines must be scored for the sheets. Our laser cutting system uses roller plates that are 3-D printed to score the sheets before cutting. Top liner facings can already be cut using advancements in laser cutting technology, but not through the material itself. The procedure is known as etching.

All structures on a laser-cut sheet layout must be nicked to the sheet for converting, which is another side effect of laser converting. Nicks are small, stubby pieces of material that are found along the outer edges of your structure and are also used in die-cutting. They keep the structures from becoming completely separated from the sheet as it travels down the line.

Structures that have been completely separated from the sheet may move, pop out, or fall out of place along the moving track, causing out-of-spec issues and other potential machine hazards. When a sheet is fully cut, the structures are removed, leaving only the nicks to indicate this stage of the converting process.

Key laser cutting considerations

Laser cutting frequently results in a slightly tinted edging on the cut face where the laser cuts through the corrugated liner. This is simply a byproduct of technology, not a flaw in the structure or manufacturing process.

After the conversion process, laser-cut boxes may have a natural cutting odor. Laser-cut sheets are placed in an "extractor" that suckers air through the flutes of stacked paper to remove any odor from laser-cut paper.

Depending on the time between cutting and receiving your boxes, it's not uncommon for the boxes you receive to have a slight residual odor. The longer the time between cutting and receiving, the less likely there will be any odor.

If you require custom boxes, please contact us.