Whether the folding carton[carton?:carton box sample cutting machine] is printed on a web or sheet-fed press, internal and external waste must be stripped away before additional finishing is completed. In some cases, this is done after diecutting is complete. Pallet[Pallet?:pallet] loads of sheets held together by nicks in the die are moved to an area where waste is manually removed either with hand-held hammers and chisels, or even jack hammers.
More and more frequently, internal carton waste and trim from the edges of the sheet are automatically removed as part of the cutting and creasing process. For an excellent animation of the entire diecutting process, including waste removal, cut and paste the following link, courtesy of Heidelberg USA, into your browser.
A routine part of all folding carton production: stripped waste is collected, sorted by grade and baled for resale and recycling. This waste is repulp and remanufactured into new paperboard that may be converted into new folding cartons over and over again.
