1. Materials
Due to the delicate nature of the product itself, its packaging box must be made of food-grade paper. This can serve as a marketing highlight, adding a selling point to the product. However, purchasing food-grade paper is quite different from buying ordinary white cardboard.
Another material consideration is the coating. An oil-resistant coating is applied to the surface of the base paper. This coating also meets food-grade standards. Similar to the packaging bags used in hospitals, industrial-grade films are also applied. Coated products are typically produced in roll form, and different thicknesses—such as 0.18 mm, 0.4 mm, etc.—can be customized according to requirements.
2. Production
There are two common structures for food packaging boxes: foldable and rigid. Foldable boxes are generally assembled by interlocking. They come out of the packaging factory as formed sheets and only need to be folded by the user. Rigid food packaging boxes have a three-dimensional structure and cannot be stacked flat. Corner pasting is a challenge in production. Of course, specialized three-dimensional corner pasting equipment is now available.
If the quantity is only a few hundred or thousand units, manual gluing will suffice. Of course, with enough time and effort, good results can also be achieved.
3. Other Practical Tips
Some food packaging boxes do not require a coating and can be formed and fixed simply using food-grade adhesive. If the packaging material has a laminated surface, there are two bonding processes: one is direct adhesive bonding, and the other is heat sealing (or heat stamping). If the paper is already coated, adhesive can be applied directly, and ordinary glue will not cause bubbling. Adhesive application must be done after coating and ion treatment; otherwise, the glue is prone to peeling off.
The other process is heat sealing. This requires mechanical equipment and specialized molds. The result is better than adhesive bonding—not only stronger but also more aesthetically pleasing, without any glue overflow.
