How Paper Boxes Are Made / A practical and instructive book telling how the beginner may manufacture all kinds of paper boxes, with special chapters on the printing department for paper box plants, embossing, gold-leafing, label work, etc.

by Robert F. Salade

Fig. 5. Showing the construction of the flange style of paper box.
Note the mitered corners of the flanges.
Fig. 6. Shows the end-pieces glued to the flanges.

Mitering for stock that is to form the body-pieces for side-set boxes is done on a machine such as the Hobbs Duplex Corner Cutting and Mitering Machine which is also used for cutting the corners for one-piece set-up boxes. The Hobbs machine is so constructed that two corners may be cut from box-board on one side, and two miters cut from box-board on the other side. In other words, it is a quadruple machine which will permit two operators to work upon it at the same time, the operator on one side doing corner cutting, and the operator on the other side doing mitering. Either side of the machine may be used independently of the other, and all sizes of corners up to 3 inches, and all sizes of miters up to 1 inch in depth, can be done by making the necessary adjustments of the dies, sub-presses, and gages. The two miters may be spaced as wide apart as 22 inches, and the two corners as wide as 20 inches.

Some of the paper box manufacturers are making the side-set boxes by hand, but the majority of box-makers are using Ending Machines for this kind of work. The hand method of construction is very simple: The operators are seated on each side of a long table; one operator “turns in” the flanges of the body-pieces, and shapes them ready for receiving the end-pieces; another operator applies glue to the end-pieces and keeps a supply of the glued end-pieces, arranged in rows, ready for the next operator who places the body of each box on a form, and then applies the end-pieces. It requires care for the operator to place the end-pieces in true register with the bottom and sides of the box. The scoring lines made for the flanges are followed as guides for putting on the end-pieces squarely. The form is simply a smooth block of wood, the size of the interior of the box that is being fashioned. The amount of work which a force of skilled hand-workers can turn out during the course of a day is really surprising.

HOW EFFICIENCY IS ACCOMPLISHED.

Efficiency in the production of hand-made paper boxes, as well as efficiency in the production of machine-made boxes, is accomplished by keeping the workers, or the machines, abundantly supplied with material, and by having boys or girls carry the material to and from the tables or machines, instead of having experienced operators attend to such work. When a force of operators start work at a table, or at a group of machines, there should be a steady flow of material to keep them constantly employed. This is the system now being followed in the leading box-making factories, and it is a system which should be adopted by every box manufacturer, no matter how small his shop may be. Keep your skilled help plentifully supplied with material. Do not allow your best operators to waste time in carrying stock from place to place when boys or girls, with the aid of light trucks, can do this class of work just as well.

This leads up to still another important suggestion which we will offer to the manufacturers in general: Do not keep your apprentices working for long periods at menial tasks, such as carrying stock, sweeping floors, running errands, etc. Push the apprentices ahead as rapidly as possible. Train them to become first-class box-makers.

A brief description of the Hobbs Automatic Ending Machine will doubtless give the reader an idea of how end-pieces are attached to the flanges of boxes mechanically: This machine is equipped with a form, pasters, a hopper and a feeder, all being adjustable to provide for paper boxes of various sizes. The machine is designed to apply end-pieces to the bottom and sides of a box, causing the ends to adhere to the in-turned flanges at either end of the box. The body of the box is placed upon the form by the operator with the flanges lying flat upon the surface. The end-pieces are placed in a hopper, and the machine automatically feeds the undermost end-piece forward, applies paste to three edges as it is being fed, registers the end accurately with the box-body upon the form, and then presses the end-piece firmly to the flanges. This completes the ending operation.

VARIOUS KINDS OF ADHESIVES.

Various kinds of paste and glue are used for ending work. White Dextrine is recommended for this purpose by many box-makers. Stein, Hall & Company, of New York City, make a Dry Ending Gum, as well as Dry Gums for all classes of paper box work. The “Mikah Cold Glues,” manufactured by the National Glue and Gelatine Works, of New York City, are also well recommended. There are other good glues and pastes on the market.

In addition to the Hobbs Automatic Ending Machines there are several other ending machines in general use which are rendering first class service. The Kingsbury & Davis Double Ending and Quadruple Staying Machine is another “wonder-worker” which is worthy of special mention. It is said that one of these machines will do the same amount of work that can be done on five single enders or stayers.