Role of Linear Guidance Components in Paperboard Tray Forming Presses

Paperboard is an increasingly important sustainable packaging material
and enables a reduction in usage of plastics. Press-formed trays are one
interesting and cost-effective packaging method to increase the usage
of paperboard. This article investigates the effect of linear guidance
components in tray forming presses. These components influence the final
quality of press-forming because any offset in the forming tools leads
to non-parallel forming surfaces and faulty products. The slide tilt
angles were measured with a clinometer in four different paperboard
press units with different configurations during unloaded and loaded
conditions. The results indicate that different press configurations and
bearing types have a significant influence on the tilt angles in
unloaded cases, however the forming tools can reduce the tilt angles in
loaded cases and no observable quality variations in final products were
observed between presses. This finding suggests less strict tolerance
requirements for the guidance elements in the construction of paperboard
presses when compared to steel forming.