Material Residual
Remaining portions of a paperboard sheet or web exist after the desired shapes have been die cut and removed for assembly. Commonly known as skeletal scrap, this lattice of material represents the non-utilised area of the original stock. This byproduct is an unavoidable result of nesting complex shapes on a rectangular sheet.
Skeletal scrap is collected and processed for recycling back into the pulping system.
Extraction Process
Removal happens automatically at the stripping station of the die cutter where mechanical pins or air blasts separate the waste from the finished blanks. Efficient management of skeletal scrap involves the use of shredders or balers that compact the loose material for transport. The design of the layout on the sheet aims to minimize the volume of this waste to improve the total yield.
High speed lines require consistent extraction to prevent the waste from jamming the machinery.
Recovery Value
Financial recovery of the cost of the raw material is partially achieved by selling the baled waste to a paper mill. Because skeletal scrap is typically composed of clean, unprinted offcuts, it commands a higher price in the secondary fiber market than post-consumer waste. This revenue offset is a factor in the overall profitability of the converting operation.
The purity of the waste stream is maintained by segregating different grades of board.
