Is cutting corners a good thing? It is when it means a weight reduction of 30% of the packaging without influencing the product protection. Arcwise new curved and corrugated board lets brands choose this way, while improving the appeal with unusual shapes and unique designs.
“Survey shows that round shapes are preferable to angular ones, ” says Rickard Hägglund, business manager for Arcwise, a unit of SCA Forest Products AB. “Round packaging is eye-catching and obtains the customer’s attention in the retail environment.”
Despite having curved and not 90° degrees corners, board panels offer an excellent shelf presence, with the advantage to show a never ending graphic design and, at the same time, being easy to ship and store.
The 30% weight reduction can be obtained by adding rigidity to the curved board, needing less material for the same product protection. According to the company “obeying to the strength and stability targets required, it’s possible to save up to 30% of board. The rigidity is an inherent property to curve shaped objects.”
An article published on Arcwise site contains lots of strength data of boxes with rounded corners and angular ones.
Arcwise is suitable for ready to display and sell packaging. It’s produced in existing corrugated board manufacturing plants, shipped flat to companies for easy shipping and filled in the usual packaging systems (like trays or wraparound packaging). The company, however, admits that some adjustments to the machinery could be required.
“This technique opens new possibilities for packaging design, to make it appealing for consumers”, says Hägglund.
Niclas Nilsson, CEO di VASA Brewery and Arcwise client, agrees: ” The great side of Arcwise is that it lets us introduce an innovative packaging without added costs and, given that the material can be made with conventional machinery, the sourcing isn’t a problem.”
The Arcwise technique is available to packaging manufacturers under license: companies must obtain the certification that assures that production quality meets Arcwise requirements.
Source for the article on Packaging digest.