Carton Manufacture
With the acquisition of the Larch Plastics manufacturing and production equipment in 2002 1st-Packaging became a major player in the clear plastic packaging sector. Establishing its roots servicing the gift and confectionery industry, from there the Company has continued to expand and improve its product portfolio, moving into food and confectionery retail packaging.
Producing and printing cartons from plastics has always presented more challenges than the traditional cardboard designs, however improving production methods and the development of a more automated process allows a new generation of superior quality finished goods. 1st-Packaging can offer its customers innovative packaging solutions for any application.
Our process, from sample to finished carton
Every bespoke carton passes through the same six stages, from first sample through to a folded, glued box ready for dispatch.
Samples
Every bespoke carton passes through the same six stages, from first sample through to a folded, glued box ready for dispatch.
Tooling
Once you're happy with the sample, we produce the bespoke cutting tool. The tool is paid for and owned by you, the customer — we handle its ongoing maintenance and upkeep.
Material selection
We choose the right material for your product from APET, RPET, GAG, RGAG or PVC, with thicknesses from 190 to 500 micron available to order (190–300 micron held as stock).
Sheeting
Orders under 500kg are guillotined from stock material to the correct sheet size. Orders over 500kg go through mill-making to produce the right size in volume.
Die cutting & creasing
Blanks are die cut and creased from the sheeted material on a cylinder press or auto platten machine. Pick-and-place window cartons have both the carton blank and clear PET window die cut separately, then glued together on the pick-and-place machine.
Fold & glue
The final stage is folding and gluing each carton, ready for packing and dispatch to you.
Automated Plastic Carton Assembly
Machine-erectable transparent PVC and PET cartons have long been a goal for manufacturers across the UK and Europe, often considered non-viable by machine manufacturers. We've solved the problem.
Our cartons are erected at speed and sealed with a special hot-melt adhesive that dries clear, making them well suited to high-value FMCG products such as food, drink, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
355×250×100mm
maximum carton size
108×45×25mm
minimum carton size
20–60 / min
erecting speed
Have a Carton in Mind?
Tell us about your product and we'll talk you through material, tooling and the right assembly method for your run size. Letʼs discuss your requirements.