November 6, 2026
A thank-you note from a member: “I have been in a few die cutting classes and have seen you, Ralph, in them. I’ve always appreciated your insights in our die cutting classes, and given your experience with these types of setups, I was hoping to get your perspective on a challenging issue we’ve run into. I know how valuable peer knowledge is in our industry, so I thought I’d reach out.”
Recently, AICC received emails from two members on the same subject. That just doesn’t happen often. And the inquiries were relevant for both me on the raw materials side and converting on Tom Weber’s side. You will find his advice also in this issue of BoxScore (see p. 20).
Here is a typical inquiry seeking advice: “We are a producer of corrugated packaging, and we are members of AICC.
“Here is the first inquiry. We are running a few very complex auto-lock bottom items across our Bobst Expert Fold and our Bahmüller Turbox. I am curious if AICC offers any expertise with either machine and specialty folding and gluing. I would like to pick someone’s brain about these specific items to see if they have any recommendations on how we could either die cut or glue these differently to gain more efficiency and better quality. Any feedback you can provide would be beneficial.
“Any insights or troubleshooting steps you could suggest would be incredibly valuable to us. We want to ensure we are maximizing the capability of this machine rather than just settling for standard tolerances. I appreciate your time and any advice you can share.
“And now the second inquiry. Well, we recently purchased a Martin Transline 1228 secondhand with a folder-gluer. It was running RSCs when we purchased it. We now have it in our plant and seem to be having issues with ‘fishtailing’ or skewing of one or both panels.”
Here are some additional resources to investigate before I dive deeper:
- “Score Cracking Revisited – Again” in BoxScore, November/December 2021
- “Score Cracking: Causes, Characteristics & Cures” white paper
- Multiple Ask Ralph responses in the Ask the Experts section of NOW.AICCbox.org.
Images the converters sent helped to highlight the issues the accounts were experiencing. (We could not insert them here because of privacy.) Images always help. What we observed were issues with the fold skewing or looking like a bad fold. There were some ugly folds and evidence where the liner started cracking.
Unfortunately, they did not know the board combinations. It was uncertain if the liners were of the same basis weight. They knew it was 32 ECT C flute, but they did not know the strength contribution of the various components. I write this because mediums with low Concora values can “move around” when being slotted and scored. It is also helpful to know the flat crush test values of the combined board. The components were 100% recycled roll stock made from differently sourced fiber streams.
There are certainly other combined board physical characteristics that we could consider if the sheet supplier were willing to offer them. They might include surface hardness, apparent density, hard and soft caliper, Dennison wax pick, Taber abrasion, fiber pull, and Scott bond, as they may relate to the combined board “moving around” in the converting press.
The converter did not have the ability to test board moisture. The manager said he has made several requests, but “no” has been the answer. The board can be too wet or too dry to convert properly.
We asked about plant temperature and humidity that might have an impact but were told it happens at all times of the day.
Ralph Young is the principal of Alternative Paper Solutions and is AICC’s corrugated technical advisor. Contact Ralph directly at askralph@AICCbox.org about technical issues that impact our industry.
