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World’s Largest Plastic Corrugated Store

December 13, 2018 in Ask the Expert

World’s Largest Plastic Corrugated Store

Question

Are your online store products available and ready to ship?

Answer:

We do have a few plastic corrugated items that are stocked and ready to ship. The majority are available with minimal lead times. With so many products that we offer and with many options like material color choices it is almost impossible to have every scenario in stock.

500 Plastic corrugated store product choices

We have the largest online store for plastic corrugated on the internet with over 500 product choices. If we attempted to stock all of these products, we would have to manufacture every product in as many as 8 different colors. Doing the math that would be over 8000 possible plastic corrugated products to manufacture and stock. Inventorying this many products just wouldn’t be practical. Instead we have designed an area of our production facility to handle these standard products in a timely manner and produce smaller quantities than other manufacturers normally would require.

In addition to all of these possible size, style and color options some of our customers require their products to be label with their company information on them. So we offer custom printing options on most of the standard products as well.


Another benefit to ordering from our Online Store is that will not require you to purchase any tooling to produce the item. Other plastic corrugated manufactures require you to purchase tooling to produce any order.Our standard products have existing tooling in house that we will use to manufacture your order. This saves you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.

Plastic corrugated store “Quick Ship” option

We also have a selection of plastic corrugated products in our “Quick Ship” program. Allowing for orders as small as 20 containers to be deliver in just 5-7 days. Our other Standard Products ship in most cases in just 2-3 weeks. This allows us to run the plastic corrugated material in the color of your choice. After the material has been process it will be send to our fabrication department. And that turns the raw plastic corrugated sheet in to the finished product that you have ordered.

I hope this had shed some light in to the PPS Online Store. And the products we are able to offer you.

Here is a quick link to access the PPS Online Store: https://plasticpkgsolutions.com/shop/

December 6, 2018 in Ask the Expert

Plastic Corrugated U.S. Postal Tote

Question:

Can you provide us with the plastic corrugated U.S. Postal Tote?

Answer:

Absolutely!

Plastic Corrugated U.S. Postal Tote

We have the exact tooling that is used for the plastic corrugated U.S. Postal Tote. This is actually the most used product ever made in the history of plastic corrugated. U.S. Postal Service has been using this exact same tote for over 15 years. There are over a million of theses Postal Totes in service with not only the USPS but with manufacturers, distributors and retailers across the U.S. and around the world.

U.S. Postal ToteA TRUE SUCCESS STORY

Although there are not exact numbers for the U.S. Postal Service we have a national Automotive Parts Retailer that was using heavy double wall paper corrugated totes in their distribution system that was almost the exact same design and size as the U.S. Postal Tote. They were forced to replace their heavy paper corrugated totes 3 to 4 times a year due to damage occurring while in use. We replaced these paper corrugated totes with the U.S. Postal Tote plastic corrugated design and with absolutely nothing changed in their handling or use of their totes the new plastic corrugated totes averaged more than 9 years of service with many of their totes still in service for more than 12 years. That is more than a 36 to 1 ratio of the usable life between a heavy double wall paper corrugated tote and our plastic corrugated U.S. Postal tote.

The design is the popular “nestable tote” design. This means it nests about 70% inside the next tote when they are stacked together. It also features a steel wire frame welded in to the plastic corrugated around the top portion of the tote. This wire helps hold the rectangular shape as well as reinforcing and strengthening the tote. The Postal Tote is ideal for product handling as well as product storage and when color coded by ordering in multiple colors can be a valuable tool for maintaining your inventory control.

The Postal Tote is part of our standard product offerings in Plastic Packaging Solutions online store. This means you can order in low quantities and there is no tooling costs common with most plastic corrugated manufacturers. https://plasticpkgsolutions.com/product/kp1577-postal-tote/

October 28, 2018 in Ask the Expert

Standard or Custom Containers?

Question:

 What is the difference between ordering standard products from you online store instead of a custom container?

 

Answer:

Our standard containers products that are offered in the store will not work for everyone, but they are a great way to try a design without the larger investment required for a custom container. If one of the designs offered in our store can accommodate your need it will save you in several ways.

 

 

We already have existing tooling that is required to manufacture the items in our store. Almost all containers manufactured in corrugated plastic require tooling. (Also know as cutting dies) Custom containers require larger minimum orders than our store items. Although we do not stock most of our standard items we have much faster lead times and some items are available for our “Quick Ship” program. Standard items will ship in 2-3 weeks. Quick ship items will ship in 5-7 days.

 

When ordering custom plastic corrugated containers, they require many additional steps well before even the production process can begin. First step would be the design process. If our customer already has a design in mind this step can be shortened, and our design department can take the design and use the size requirements specified by the customer and a sample can be made and sent for approval in as little as a week. In other cases, the customer only has a product or idea of what they are in need of and the container needs to first be designed for both the product as well as the logistics of how the container will be used. This procedure can take from a week or two to as long as several months depending on the complexity of the project.

 

After the design has been determined and a sample container has been made and sent to the customer for testing and approval the matching production tooling will then be manufactured. At the same time, we would begin the process of scheduling and running the corrugated plastic material to be used to produce the container. This entire process once we have approved sample to finished production normally takes 4-6 weeks.

 

Things like printing and interior inserts can add some additional time and expenses to the container.

 

Conclusion:

We can design and manufacture almost anything from corrugated plastic but if one of the standard containers products that are offered in our store can fulfill your requirements it can save you time and lower your investment and development costs.

October 26, 2018 in Ask the Expert

Plastic or Paper Core Boxes?

Question:

Why use Corrugated Plastic or Paper Core Boxes?

Answer:

I am very familiar with both options as our company used to produce waxed Fiber Corrugated Core Boxes for over 20 years before discontinuing and selling only the Plastic Corrugated.

When comparing we will select the best waxed option as there are several types of waxing available as well as different configurations of glues that can be used. The strongest combination is WRA (weather resistant adhesive) glue along with wax saturated (dipped in wax) core boxes. This being the “longest term” option in Paper it still has many issues that just can’t compete with the Plastic Corrugated option.

 

Plastic Corrugated has many advantages over Waxed Fiber Corrugated especially in the type of environment that Core Boxes are many times exposed too. In some cases, core samples are stored in the boxes for a time outdoors where the sun and rain are a constant factor. In addition, the cores themselves could be anything from solid rock to a mix of wet soil.

Some disadvantages for waxing paper it will add weight to the paper making it more expensive to ship. In addition, waxing gets very messy when exposed to heat and sun. It gets very slippery with heat and could be a hazard factor when handling heavy Core Boxes. Another big issue is Waxed Paper is non-recyclable. There is “NO” use for waxed paper other than landfill. Waxed Corrugated will eventually deteriorate and begin to delaminate and the harsher the environment the shorter the life of the Waxed Paper Box.

 

Plastic Corrugated is ideal for Core Boxes. It is not affected by water or 99% of all chemicals. This makes it ideal for most all environments and is not affected by the wet core samples or rainy environments. It is very lightweight saving on shipping costs. Plastic Corrugated is also 100% recyclable. Many of our customers store their cores for years with absolutely no change in the performance of the boxes. We also have customers that reuse our Plastic Corrugated Core Boxes time and time again on new drill sites and additional projects.

March 13, 2018 in Ask the Expert

Different Types of Plastic Corrugated

Answers from the expert

Question: Can you please explain the different types of Plastic Corrugated?
Answer: Yes, there are several variations of plastic corrugated with different configurations and different advantages.
The first and most common is Profile Sheet.

Example: Corrugated Profile Sheet
Different Types of Plastic Corrugated

Plastic corrugated profile sheet is available in both polyethylene and polypropylene from 2mm up to 25mm in thickness. It is made by an extrusion process forcing heated resin through a hardened metal die. When the resin is pressed through the die it creates a sheet that has flat surfaces to both sides and an I-beam structure between the two flat surfaces.
Profile Sheet is the most diverse to work with since it is available in so many different thicknesses and can be extruded at variable weights.

The next sheet type is Laminated Sheet.

Plastic corrugated laminated sheet comes is only available in Polyethylene. Laminated sheet is made in a very similar way to paper corrugated fiber. Most commonly made with two flat sheets on each side with a third wave pattern sheet in the middle. Instead of glue being used to attach the sheets together they are brought together while the resin is hot and the layers are melted together. There is another form of laminated sheet called single face. This version only has one flat side and the wave pattern is exposed on the opposite side. Single face laminated sheet can be rolled and is much more pliable than the standard laminated sheet.

Example: Corrugated Laminated Sheet

Plastic Corrugated

The newest and last variation of Corrugated Plastic is Honeycomb or Bubble sheet

Available in polypropylene and comes in multiple thicknesses. It has two flat surfaces with either a honeycomb type pattern in the middle or a bubble format in the middle. It has better rigidity in both directions and is incredibly flat on the sides. Although more expensive than the other two options this sheet variation has some performance advantages in particular applications.

No matter what combination is best suited for your project corrugated plastic is a perfect replacement when there is an opportunity to reuse the packaging or the packaging or display needs to withstand weather or other variables in the environment. Unlike paper products it is also archive safe and does not contaminate the environment like paper dust making it a great alternative for clean room applications. It can also be customized economically when compared to molded plastic products or thermal formed products.

Example: Corrugated Plastic Honeycomb or Bubble sheet

Corrugated Plastic Bubble Sheet

October 11, 2017 in Ask the Expert

Durability of Plastic vs Fiber Corrugated

Question: How much longer do plastic corrugated boxes last than paper corrugated boxes?

Answer: This will depend on both its usage as well as the environment.

In the most common scenarios you can expect the following. You may get longer or shorter usage results depending on the environment, weather and usage or handling situations.

Durability of Plastic vs Fiber Corrugated

We have seen scenarios where our customers have seen over 100 times the usage of trips that their old paper/fiber boxes had made. There are other cases that saw fewer usages because of the abuse that the boxes or totes take in their system.

Some of our customers have had our plastic containers in use after decades of service.

If you are currently getting more than one use from your paper/fiber corrugated box then you are a perfect candidate to switch to plastic corrugated. The most important thing is that you can reuse the container, tote or tray.

When using plastic corrugated as a storage unit the material id either polypropylene or polyethylene and is unaffected by moisture and most all chemicals so the life in these circumstances could be indefinite.

UV exposure can have an effect on plastics of all kinds. Sun exposure can have adverse effects over time. Even long-term UV lighting can eventually deteriorate plastics although indoor lighting has much less effect than outdoor UV exposure. Even the color of the plastic can determine effects of UV exposure with colors like red being less tolerant to UV lighting.

Bottom line when it comes to durability and long-term saving changing over from your fiber corrugated containers to corrugated plastic ones is a smart investment in the long run.

One Case Study:

Wal-Mart was using a fiber corrugated distribution box with an average usage of 2 ½ trips per container. During the initial case study, we had the same container made from our plastic corrugated making over 80 trips in some cases between Distribution Center and Retail Stores.

September 7, 2017 in Ask the Expert

Custom Corrugated Recyclers

Q) Can I customize one of your recyclers?

A) Yes, absolutely.

Any of our recyclers can be customized for your needs.

Custom Corrugated Recyclers

We have standard recyclers available in our online store with various lid combinations at https://plasticpkgsolutions.com/product-category/recycling-bins/ as well as custom variations that may or may not require any tooling at https://plasticpkgsolutions.com/recyclers/.

In addition, we can custom design and manufacture a recycler to your exact specifications.

Corrugated Plastic Recyclers are an ideal product as they are very light weight and durable as well as having the ability to ship and store flat to save on your shipping and storage costs.

Your options are endless as far as configuration, colors and size.

One of the great things about the corrugated plastic recyclers is that it that they are not effected by moisture or chemicals making it your best choice for reusability while still maintaining a very lightweight container. Our recyclers can be used with or without a liner.

We can print you unit with whatever message you want to share with your users. It can be as simple as a one color recycle message to a 4-color process advertisement. You can print your message on just the body or add an additional message on the lid.

It is also possible to design the lid to be permanently attached the body for applications that may not require needing to remove the lid completely.

The options are virtually endless and are dependent on your needs and application for your Recycling Unit.

July 31, 2017 in Ask the Expert

Corrugated Plastic for a room divider?

  1. Laminated Polyethylene Corrugated Plastic Sheet - 53.5in x 58inQ) I’m looking for a roll of corrugated plastic to be used as a room divider and need it to be approximately 38 ft long and 6-8 ft wide. Can we add two heavy duty grommets on each end and is the material available in cardinal “Stanford” red?
  2. A) Thanks for your inquiry. Sorry, but the rolled corrugated plastic is only available up to a 53” in width.For the project, you are considering I would suggest using 4’ x 8’ corrugated plastic sheets. You could add grommets if needed to link the panels together with something like cable ties. This would allow you to accordion fold the sheets when not in use.

We do sell quantities as low as 50 sheets in our laminated corrugated plastic product line available in a standard red but laminated sheet is only available in 4mm thickness. I would highly suggest using our profile corrugated plastic sheet. The advantage of our profile corrugated plastic sheet is that it can be ordered in a much thicker “heavier” profile giving more structure to your walls. I would suggest something like our 10mm or heavier would be helpful for the added structural integrity.

You would most likely have to paint the sheets because in the smaller quantities that you are needing we only have standard red available not a cardinal “Stanford University” red. We do offer custom matched colors in much larger quantities.

I hope this was of some assistance to you and feel free to contact me for more information or details.

 

Best Regards,

Tom

July 11, 2017 in Ask the Expert

Plastic Corrugated Boxes Tooling

Q) Why do plastic corrugated boxes need tooling when fiber corrugated boxes don’t?

A) This is a very good question.

You are correct that many standard design styles like a regular RSC (regular slotted container) do not need tooling or cutting dies when manufactured from fiber corrugated. They are most often manufactured on equipment that can score the box and cut the top and bottom flap slots without the need for a cutting die. These are most often the standard boxes that you would require you to tape the flaps down when closing the box. Many other styles like a pizza style box require tooling for either plastic corrugated or fiber corrugated boxes.
The reason this standard equipment cannot be used for plastic corrugated is that the plastic does not cut or score (crease) as easily as fiber corrugated boxes. The plastic corrugated wants to stretch and tear when attempting to run the material on standard box equipment. So, in order to get clean cuts or strong creases to allow the container to fold correctly the plastic corrugated needs to be cut and creased with a tool or cutting die.
Tooling or cutting dies for plastic corrugated are priced very similar to the cutting dies needed for fiber corrugated. They are manufactured from wood and steel rule. The die or tooling can either be made flat or curved depending on the type of equipment that will be used to produce your product. The steel rule has either a sharp edge for cutting or a flat or rounded edge for creasing to make the folds in the container. The main difference is that plastic corrugated needs different cutting edges as well as a slightly different scoring configuration. Plastic corrugated also needs additional pressure due to the memory of the material during the die cutting process to cut and crease the plastic.
When we are producing containers or other parts from heavier gauges of plastic corrugated we often use a special tool and heated die cutter to not only cut and crease the plastic but to heat the scoring to allow the item fold easier after production.
Example of a flat cutting die:

Plastic Corrugated Boxes Tooling

June 26, 2017 in Ask the Expert

Reusable Plastic Corrugated Box

Q) If I shouldn’t use tape for closing a reusable plastic corrugated box what are my other options?

A) Here is a list of a few optional closures to take the place of using tape for your reusable carton.

• Self-Locking Flaps
• Auto-Lock Flaps
• Velcro
• Magnets
• Buckles
• Webbing with Buckles or Other Closures
• Seat Belt Type System
• Hard Fasteners (Screws, Bolts, etc.)
• Locking Tabs (Tongue Lock, Wing Lock, etc.)
• Change the box design style to a self-closing box. (Example: RETT or RELF “pizza box style”)

Here is the reason why:
If you tape a box or carton closed almost every time the person opening the box at its destination will use some kind of sharp cutting tool like a razor box opener to “cut” the tape to get your carton opened. There is a good chance that that same tool used to cut the tape will end up cutting in to your box as well.
The use of optional closures that do not require a sharp tool to open your box or carton will help assure that it will have a long and useful life in your reusable system.
In cases where tape must be used for security reasons than a release label can be applied to the box. The release label has a permanent adhesive on one side that is applied to the plastic corrugated box or carton and has a proprietary plastic coating on the opposite surface that does not allow for labels or tape to adhere well to its surface. If one or both of the ends of the tape overlap this label it will not adhere well to the release coating on the label. This allows the person unpacking the container to more easily grab the end of the tape on the release label and pull the tape from the container instead of using a sharp tool to cut the tape.

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