Getting to grips with cartons : Interactions of carbonboard packages with an artificial finger

Abstract: Packaging is an important part of most products in our modern world. It produces waste, but it also enables products to reach consumers safely and efficiently. Hence, the proper design of packaging is becoming increasingly important. Historically, cartonboard packages were designed for box compression strength. While this remains important, there are other types of loads that are important to consider. One such type of load arises from manual handling. As packages as moved and used, consumers need to exert forces on the package. These forces deform and can damage the package.Understanding these interactions can be challenging. By developing a method for quantifying the deformation due to manual handling, it becomes possible to measure and compare a redesigned package with the original to see if the performance has changed. This can aid packaging designers, but it can also be used for product control. The converting process is complex and deviations from specification can be introduced at many points along the production process.In this work, a method for quantifying interactions similar to those in manual handling is presented and evaluated. The method is then applied to study the effect of position and material properties on the mechanics of the interaction. The method is shown to have low variability and be robust to modifications in packaging and experimental design. It was seen that increasing the size of packages from 82 mm to 98 mm corresponded to decreasing the grammage by 10-20%. The method also showed the stiffening effect of corners and flaps, suggesting that the strategic placement of these design elements could help maintain the desired mechanical properties of the package at the point of interaction, provided the most likely point can be predicted.