Press Machines for Packaging & Cardboard
Packaging and cardboard cutting uses steel rule dies — thin strips of hardened steel bent into the required shape and mounted in a wooden or aluminium base. Clicker presses are well-suited to this application: cardboard and greyboard cut cleanly at moderate tonnage, and the ability to change dies quickly suits the variety of box and packaging shapes in a typical production run.
Which Press for This Industry
Good for small to medium packaging work — gift boxes, display packaging, and specialty cartons. The moveable arm lets you position the die across the full beam width, which is useful when working with sheet material rather than roll stock.
Better for production volumes and larger packaging shapes. The consistent cutting area and multi-layer capability suit runs where you're cutting the same shape repeatedly from sheet stock.
Used for heavy-duty packaging applications — thick greyboard, multi-layer corrugated, and rigid box components. Also used for embossing and creasing operations where a flat platen is needed.
Material Considerations
| Material | Typical Thickness | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cardboard / boxboard (light) | 0.5–1.5mm | Low force. Most clicker presses are significantly overspecified for this |
| Greyboard / chipboard | 1–3mm | Force factor 15–25 N/mm². Standard for rigid box manufacturing |
| Corrugated cardboard (single wall) | 3–5mm | Moderate force. Steel rule dies work well |
| Corrugated cardboard (double wall) | 6–10mm | Higher force. Check die height is sufficient for material thickness |
| Foam-backed board | 3–8mm | Foam layer adds force requirement. Calculate as composite material |
| Kraft paper / tissue | 0.1–0.5mm | Very low force. Any clicker press is adequate |
For a full breakdown of force requirements by material, use our interactive tonnage calculator.
What to Look for When Buying
- 01Cardboard cutting is one of the lower-force press applications — don't overspecify. A 10-tonne swing arm press handles most packaging work up to 3mm greyboard.
- 02Steel rule die quality matters more than press tonnage for clean cardboard cuts. A well-made die with sharp, properly set rules will outperform a cheap die on an expensive press.
- 03Die height (the distance from the base to the cutting edge) must match the material thickness. Standard steel rule die heights are 23.8mm and 25.4mm — check compatibility with your press.
- 04For creasing and embossing operations alongside cutting, look for a press with adjustable stroke depth so you can set different depths for cutting vs. creasing passes.
- 05If you're running a variety of packaging shapes, consider a press with a quick-change cutting board system — swapping boards between jobs is faster than repositioning a fixed board.