Packaging materials that are 100% recyclable

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Material science - everything you should know about our raw material

Some people call waste paper waste, but for us, waste paper is the source of creating something new. Waste paper is our most important raw material to be able to produce paper and then various types of cardboard. Manufactured using similar processes, our packaging materials differ in terms of their grammage or area-related mass.

Corrugated base paper - the soul of every corrugated board

In the production of paper, we remain true to the basic principles that have existed for around 2000 years. Although we have taken advantage of technological advances in the meantime, we still need wood fibres, water and energy for paper production. The difference between artisanal and machine production lies in the fact that individual sheets were created manually, whereas today's machine production results in an endless web of paper.

Today, it is hard to imagine daily private and professional life without paper, despite the rapid pace of digitalization. As the only manufacturer of corrugated base paper in Switzerland, we produce around 410,000 tonnes of corrugated base paper annually with our three paper machines. Our investment in a paper mill in Eilenburg, located in eastern Germany, will increase our volume accordingly in the future.

We value the pursuit of awareness. Therefore, it is a pleasure for us to make an active contribution to the circular economy with the production of environmentally friendly packaging materials.

Paper, a lightweight material, acquires extraordinary strength when it is corrugated or fluted. That's why the wave is the characteristic, the "soul" of every corrugated board.

A kind of lightweight construction made of paper creates a stable packaging material. The secret of stability lies in the shape of the wave. A paper that was just folded or folded would not have the same effect.

Corrugated base paper is the material from which corrugated board is made. To do this, the corrugated paper web requires an outer and inner cover made of paper. The quality of the papers used determines the quality of the corrugated board. For this reason, it is necessary to have a precise knowledge of the types of corrugated base paper that are processed into corrugated board.

The papers used to make corrugated cardboard are:

Cover papers (Testliner, Kraftliner, Schrenz)
Corrugated papers (corrugated pulp, semi-pulp)

The quality of the papers is largely dependent on the raw materials from which it is made. Papers for the production of corrugated board are made from the raw materials pulp and waste paper. Both raw materials have fibers derived from wood. They are the starting points for paper production.

Corrugated cardboard - a wave that never breaks

In the case of corrugated board, the name alone provides information about the properties. The corrugated base paper produced by Model is used to glue different paper webs together to create corrugated cardboard. At least one fluted paper web, the so-called wave, is glued between two smooth paper webs, the cover papers.

The corrugated board is produced in corrugators (corrugators). We refer to the semi-finished products produced on our corrugators as "corrugated sheets". The corrugated cardboard sheets intended for further processing are produced in various qualities, as well as single, double or triple shafts. The different paper qualities and types of flutes enable us to meet the most diverse customer requirements for packaging in further processing.

In order for the shaft to get its shape, a special corrugating roller is used and the corrugated base paper is formed by means of heat, pressure and moisture. The next step is a smooth blanket paper, which is glued to the corrugated sheet. The resulting one-sided corrugated board can now be glued with other cover and corrugated papers or finished directly with an outer cover. Depending on the respective composition, it is referred to as single-wall, double-wall or three-wall corrugated board.

The constellation between the corrugation number and the cover paper thus determines the nature of the respective corrugated board. Quality parameters can be checked on the basis of various characteristics such as edge compression resistance*, impact resistance or burst factor. Model's blanket papers are particularly stable due to their own production and can be printed well on both the outside and inside. Model loves quality and our closed paper cycle enables us to always meet our own quality standards as well as those of our customers.

Our packaging production is the beating heart of the Model Group. Production covers various areas, from the production of corrugated board to the creation of simple transport packaging and high-quality displays. A team of experienced employees from all areas support the entire process of order fulfillment.

* possibly a short explanation for the layman: what is edge compression resistance etc.

Solid board - perceptible robustness and elegance

Characterized by a massive material density, a homogeneous structure and reliable robustness, the product experience is guaranteed not only visually but also haptically. This is our solid board or cardboard. The cardboard made of up to 100% recycled material has become indispensable in various industries, such as the food or cosmetics industry.

Solid board consists of one or more gautsched or several glued layers. Solid board packaging material is particularly robust and resistant because, unlike corrugated board, there is no air between the paper webs. Moisture is not primarily a challenge, as the packaging material is only slightly sensitive thanks to its high density. The smooth surface has optimal printing possibilities and is therefore ideal for unique and unusual designs.

In the production of solid board, waste paper and pulp are also used. With the help of the pulper, a large stirring vat, the waste paper is dissolved together with water to form a liquid fibrous pulp. Via a roller, the fibrous pulp reaches a wire sieve, which moves constantly and through which the excess water can drain off. What remains is a wet fibre fleece, which then passes between several rollers. Through this process, the water is squeezed out and the fibers are increasingly compressed into different calibre thicknesses from 200 g to 1,050 g/m². This results in the well-known solid board. By merging different layers, different cardboard qualities are obtained. A scope that allows us to respond to the individual functions of the packaging and to offer you as a customer a tailor-made packaging solution.

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Laminated cardboard - combine without laminating

In the packaging industry, lamination is when a corrugated board is supplemented with a high-quality printed surface. Both rolls or individual sheets of corrugated cardboard can be used as carriers for lamination. Blanket paper is usually coated paper, which in turn is joined to the backing by a pre-printed roll or individual printed sheets.

Inline, offline, and sheet-to-sheet lamination are the three methods of lamination. The process to be used is determined on the basis of the desired packaging properties. In addition, certain laminating systems can also be used for productions in which the carrier is a single-sided corrugated board.

A laminating line is divided into different stations with different configurations. The laminating station is responsible for applying the ducked cover paper to the corrugated board material. To ensure that the different materials can be bonded together, glue is applied to the corrugated tips of the single-sided corrugated board or to the cover paper of the corrugated board. The laminated cardboard can then be cut to the desired length if no individual sheets have been used.

At the last step, the delivery station, the product passes through two drying phases of the laminating machine. The first phase is used to press the sheets again in the single press section, while the second phase guarantees optimal glue binding by means of a belt press.

The demand for eye-catching packaging and eye-catching displays at the point of sale (POS) is increasing continuously. With our passion for packaging, we are able to offer you as a customer laminated products that meet your needs and wishes and convince you of high quality.