Apex | News

*Originally published in FLEXO Magazine's June 2019 issue

Board quality is the foundation for corrugated excellence and therefore the board used directly affects print results. New materials and improved technologies make it possible to manufacture corrugated board to a much higher standard and realize cost savings on glue consumption and required drying capacity.

Consumers in the corrugated industry are demanding a decrease in starch consumption.  And not just for the cost savings either.  Instead, it is the thinner, weaker paper – with weights as low as 80 grams - that are used for gluing board. This type of paper requires the application of less starch, as little starch as possible in fact.

It isn’t hard to understand that glue rolls for corrugated machines with excessive TIR (total indicated runout), or glue rolls that aren’t parallel, will cause your corrugator to consume more adhesive.  It’s trickier to calculate how much, and when it makes economic sense to correct the problem.  As long as board quality, productivity, and waste are acceptable, it is tempting to post- pone maintenance.  Reducing the question to a comparison of costs helps managers make informed decisions.