A few years ago, cardboard boxes were relatively plain and although they had printing, logos and designs, it left much to be desired. However, all this has drastically changed thanks to products like foaming adhesive and litho laminating. These things have provided innovative solutions to those in the packing industry and here are some reasons why.
What is Litho Laminating?
This method uses two process, lithography and lamination to create corrugated cardboard surfaces with very high quality color images. The printing process uses lithography.
Lithography
Lithography is a printing method based on the principle of mixing oil and water. Under normal circumstances these two materials repel each other. The process has been used since the late 1700s and works well for reproducing works of art and many kinds of images.
Lithography utilizes two plates (one negative and the other positive). The smooth surface of the positive plate absorbs oil type ink and also repels moisture. On the other hand, the rough texture of the negative plate absorbs moisture and repels oil. This creates a chemical reaction between the two plates. Rubber rollers are able to repel moisture while lifting the ink from the positive plate and transferring it to paper. This reproduces an image with striking clarity and detail. Next, is the lamination process.
Lamination
In order to place a colorful image on cardboard or other types of porous material, layers are pressed and glued at the same time and a foaming adhesive works best for this procedure. Lamination is used to create a superior material by bonding more than one material together. This is how plywood is created and is also how corrugated cardboard is made. By taking several relatively weak materials and bonding them into one, it creates a hard, pliable and much better material in a cost effective manner.
Litho Lamination – Combining Two Technologies
Litho lamination begins with creating lithographic images and placing them onto printing plates. Rollers then remove the ink from the top plate and transfer it. Next, the paper literally becomes part of the cardboard by applying foaming adhesive and passing both materials through large and heavy rollers.
Uses for Litho Lamination
Litho laminating creates more attractive packaging for all kinds of products. When you buy something in a cardboard box with a slick surface and bright and detailed images, chances are it was made with this process.
In addition to packaging, litho lamination is a cost effective way to create high quality signs for advertising. They are perfect for cash register area displays and floor stands for any business selling products. Thanks to modern technology like litho lamination, mass producing high quality images for commercial use is cheaper and better.
