IRE-TEX

PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

CORRUGATED

PAS100

PAS 100

3/01

TABLE OF CONTENTS

General Guidelines

Inspection 1

Non-conformance / corrective action 1

Defect standards / criteria 1

Raw material defect criteria 1

Printing Acceptance Criteria 1, 2

Cosmetic Acceptance Criteria(hickeys, smudges, etc) 2, 3

Mechanical Acceptance Criteria (Die cuts, slots, joints, etc)

Folding cartons, lightweight corrugated 3

Corrugated products

Adhesive joints 4

Taped joints 5

Stitched joints 5

Crushed , holes, tears, scuffs 6 Stains, print flaws, excessive writing / labels 7

Glossary 8-16

QA sign off sheet (to be returned to Ire-Tex) 17

PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

PAS100

  1. Purpose:

The purpose of this standard is to define the required quality characteristics for Ire-Tex materials and products relevant to the scope of this document.

2. Scope:

These standards are intended for use as a reference document. This document will provide identification of defects for packaging materials, packaged assemblies, and packaged products.

3. Inspection (General):

Ire-Tex expects all supplied packaging to meet the quality standards defined in this document. It is the supplier’s responsibility to maintain the appropriate quality systems (i.e. inspection, process control, training, etc.) to ensure compliance. If defects are detected by Ire-Tex, the supplier will be required to perform varying degrees of containment and corrective action (depending on severity and frequency of occurrence). This may include, but not limited to, crediting Ire-Tex for defective items, performing 100% inspection at Ire-Tex and/or supplier’s facility, recalling distributed product, or other corrective action determined at Ire-Tex.’s discretion.

3.1.Non-conformance Corrective Action Process:

Production materials, parts, or assemblies of finished goods detected as non-conforming to Ire-Tex requirements shall be identified and segregated for controlling further movement, disposition, and initiating corrective action.

4.0Defect Standards and Criteria:

Defects are characteristics that will affect the functionality or detract from the overall appearance of the product. Defective materials will not be used without appropriatedisposition.

4.1Packaging Raw Materials Criteria for Defects:

Packaging material defects can occur during any of the printing, cutting, scoring or gluing processes. These defects may come in batches due to the variations of the equipment. To conduct inspections for defects, view the specimen at arm’s length (approximately 18”) for 3-4 seconds. Where noted, a “Class A” surface is the front panel of a printed component.

4.1.1.Printing Acceptance Criteria

The following Printing Acceptance Criteria applies to any printed packaging component. Printing Specifications for each printed part are to be supplied by the applicable Ire-Tex representative.

Color:

  • Match Ire-Tex specifications throughout production run to:
  • Approved press/proof sheet, or
  • Color proof.

Density:

  • Match Ire-Tex variance tolerances throughout production run to:
  • Approved press/proof sheet.

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PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

PAS100

4.1.1.Printing Acceptance Criteria (cont.)

Registration

Flexograhic Printing: (i.e.: used on corrugated, 1-2 colors)

  • Within +/- .0625” (1/16” or 1.6mm)in any one direction

Copy:

  • Clarity: consistent with the approved press/proof sheet
  • Fading: consistent with the approved press/proof sheet
  • Broken or filled-in characters must not exceed 0.1%.

Trapping:

  • Product is not acceptable if a non-uniform outline is observed without the aid of a magnifying glass.

Crossovers:

  • Within 1/32” (0.8mm) or less in any direction.

Bleeds:

  • Dimensional variance less than 1/16” (1.6 mm) for Offset Lithographic printing.
  • Dimensional variance less than 1/8” (3.2 mm) for Flexographic printing.

4.1.2.Cosmetic Acceptance Criteria

The following Cosmetic Acceptance Criteria applies to any printed packaging component.

Hickeys or Glitches:

  • No more than three 3/32” (2.4mm) in diameter appearing on any panel.
  • Hickey must not render any copy illegible.

Smudges, smears, or streaks:

  • No more than one, 1/32” (0.8mm) in width and greater than 1/8” (3.2mm) in length appearing within ½” (12.7mm) of the product title, corporate name or logo on any panel.
  • No more than two less than 3/32” (2.4mm) in width and 3/16” (4.8mm) in length appearing on any panel.
  • Smudge must not render any copy illegible.

Scratches or nicks:

  • No more than one, ¼” (6.4mm) in length appearing within ½” (12.7mm) of the product title, corporate name or logo on any panel.
  • No more than two 3/8” (9.5mm) in length appearing on any panel.
  • Scratch or nick must not render any copy illegible.

Creases or non-specified folds:

  • No more than two, ¼” (6.4mm) in length appearing on any panel.
  • Crease must not render any copy illegible.

Cumulative hickeys, smudges, scratches, and creases; approved tolerances:

  • No more than two of any size appearing on any “Class A” panel.
  • No more than three of any size appearing on any other panel.
  • No more than five of any size appear on the entire item.

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PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

PAS100

4.1.2.Cosmetic Acceptance Criteria (cont.)

Cracked or burst fold seams:

Flexographic Printing: (i.e.: used on corrugated, 1-2 colors)

  • No cracked edges greater than 1/8” (3.2 mm) in height.
  • No cracked edges occurring on more than one-fourth of the fold.
  • No crack breaking through material.

Ghosting, roller marks, or gear marks:

  • Within tolerances based on approved press/proof sheet.

Discoloration of Raw Material:

Corrugated - Discoloration’s or spots on natural kraft surfaces on boxes are permissible under the following conditions, applicable independently or collectively, as viewed from a distance no less than 18 inches from the surface examined:

  • Discoloration does not exceed ¼” (6.35 mm) in diameter.
  • Discolorations are not concentrated such that they exceed 10 spots within a 6” square.
  • Discolorations are permitted within ink-imprinted areas.
  • Discoloration’s in areas not visible to the exterior of a set-up container may be ignored.

Tears are not acceptable.

Product must be free of any attached contaminants or debris.

4.1.3.Mechanical Acceptance Criteria

The following Mechanical Acceptance Criteria are to be used for the incoming packaging raw materials per the applicable material callout. No raw material changes without prior written approval from Ire-Tex.

FOLDING CARTONS/LIGHTWEIGHT CORRUGATED PRODUCTS:

(Including CD envelopes,E and F Flute corrugated)

Scoring:

  • Within +/- 1/32” (0.8mm) as specified from Ire-Tex.
  • Can not cut material.
  • Scores must break cleanly (crisp).

Warpage:

  • Not to exceed 1/2” (12.7 mm) per 12” (304.8 mm) of width.

Die-Cuts, Slots and Perforations:

  • Within 1/16” (1.6 mm) as specified from Ire-Tex.
  • Die-cut must be complete.
  • Die-cut edges must be clean.
  • All die-cut areas must be stripped of excess material per specifications supplied by Ire-Tex.
  • Slots must register with scores.
  • Slots must be 95% stripped (not interfere with box set-up).

Adhesive/Joints:

  • Adhesive must not extend beyond the joint on external or internal surfaces.
  • The allowable gap between the joint edges must be within 1/16” (1.6mm).
  • Adhesive coverage requires 80% or greater fiber tear of the entire manufacturer’s joint.

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PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

PAS100

CORRUGATED PRODUCTS:

(including A, B, C, Doublewall and Triplewall Flute):

Scoring:

  • Within +/- 1/8” (3.2 mm) as specified from Ire-Tex.
  • Can not cut material.
  • Scores must break cleanly (crisp).

Warpage:

  • Not to exceed 1/2” (12.7 mm) per 12” (304.8 mm) of width.

Die-Cuts, Slots and Perforations:

  • Within +/- 1/16” (1.6 mm) as specified from Ire-Tex.
  • Die-cut must be complete.
  • Die-cut edges must be clean.
  • All die-cut areas must be stripped of excess material per specifications supplied by Ire-Tex.
  • Slots must register with scores.
  • Slots must be 95% stripped (not interfere with box set-up).

Adhesive Manufacturing Joints:

  • Adhesive must not extend beyond the joint on external or internal surfaces.
  • Adhesive coverage requires 80% or greater fiber tear of the entire manufacturer’s joint.
  • The allowable gap between the manufacturing joint edges must be within 1/8” (3.2 mm). See manufacturing adhesive joint drawing below for explanation.

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PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

PAS 100

4.1.3.Mechanical Acceptance Criteria (cont.)

Taped Manufacturing Joints:

  • Manufacturing taped joints shall be per the drawing below:

Stitched Manufacturing Joints:

  • Manufacturing stitched joints shall be per the drawing below:

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PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

PAS 100

4.1.3.Mechanical Acceptance Criteria (cont.)

Crushed/Creased/Dented Containers

Accept if:

  1. A crease or dent in the container does not affect stacking strength.
  2. A crease or fold in the container running parallel to the vertical edges of the container does not affect stacking performance.
  3. A container is slightly bulging around the center of a container panel.
  4. A crease or dent in the container does not tear the corrugated board.

Reject if:

  1. The container is damaged in such a manner that product protection is at risk.
  2. Any of the four vertical container edges (when oriented in the normal shipping orientation) buckle or fold when downward force is applied to the top of the container.
  3. The top of the container is crushed or “pushed in” from any top-loading force.
  4. The container contains creases which hamper container performance or product protection, such as:
  • Horizontal creases that cross and buckle vertical container edges.
  • Creases or dents that disfigure the container cube (i.e., caved-in sidewalls)

Holes/Tears

Accept if:

  1. Container has small cuts or tears in outer liner that do not go completely through the container wall and exposes 3 or less flutes (or lines).

Reject if:

  1. Container has fork holes or other major punctures.
  2. Container has any holes, cuts or tears that go completely through container wall or flaps.
  3. Container liner/paper is torn or peeled back exposing more than 3 flutes (or lines) or leaving loose or “flapping” paper.
  4. Container sealing tape is torn or broken affecting container closure or if the container shows exposed fibers apparently resulting from label or tape removal. If tape is cut for inspection purposes, Business Unit policy applies.
  5. Container has burst corners or seams.

Scuffs/Marks/Dirt/Dust/other visual imperfections

Accept if:

1. Dirt and dust or other imperfections on the container can be wiped or removed from container exterior to return legibility of logos, labels or verbiage.

2. Container shows scuffs or marks from normal handling, especially on or around bottom edges, as long as they do not impact readability or aesthetics of any logos, labels or printing.

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PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

PAS 100

4.1.3.Mechanical Acceptance Criteria (cont.)

Stains/Water Marks/Printing Flaws

Accept if:

  1. Slight container printing imperfections such as small spots or minor ink bleed are present but do not interfere with readability of logos, labels, or printing. Refer to other sections of this document for acceptance criteria for printing defects.
  2. Moisture on the box will not create problems of discoloration, staining, or delamination.
  3. Fading of natural kraft paperboard liners is evident; this occurs naturally on untreated corrugated board.
  4. Naturally-occurring brown or tan spots are evident in the exterior surface of natural kraft corrugated board, up to ¼” (6.35 mm) in diameter, and up to 10 spots exceeding 1/16” (1.6 mm) diameter in any 6” square surface. These spots may be located within printed areas.

Reject if:

  1. Container has noticeable stains or water marks, which detract from or interfere with logos, labels, or printing.
  2. Container appears to have been exposed to moisture (water stains) or is received moist or wet to the extent that water stains will be induced or delamination of the container will occur.
  3. Printed container graphics are faded and/or logos, labels or printing are unreadable or violated by printing flaws or stains.

Extraneous writing/labels

Accept if:

  1. Carrier labels/markings are added to stretch wrap or exterior bags or designated container locations.

Reject if:

  1. Container contains obvious and extraneous handwritten markings on container exterior.
  2. Container contains extraneous labels or stickers inconsistently “slapped” on the container without regard to logos, artwork or container aesthetics.

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PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE STANDARDS

PAS 100

This Glossary includes most of the common or typical terms used in the production and printing of packaging.

A

Abrasion / The damage caused by the scuffing or friction of a part against its package, or of a package against an external object including other packages.
abrasion resistance / Ability to withstand the effects of repeated rubbing, scuffing, and scratching.
acceptable quality level (AQL) / The maximum percentage or proportion of variant units in a lot or batch that, for the purposes of acceptance sampling, can be considered satisfactory as a process average.
acceptance sampling / Sampling inspection in which decisions are made to accept or not-accept product or service; also, the methodology that deals with procedures by which decisions to accept or not-accept are based on the results of the inspection of samples.
adhesive / (1) (noun) Any material used to adhere one surface to another.
(2) A general term including: cement, glue, mucilage, paste, thermoplastic adhesives, etc.
The term adhesive may be modified by adjectives which describe: (a) it’s physical state, e.g., liquid adhesive, tape adhesive, (b) it’s chemical type, e.g., silicate adhesive, resin adhesive, dextrin adhesive, (c) the materials bonded together, e.g., paper adhesive, label adhesive, (d) the condition of use, e.g., hot-setting adhesive, thermoplastic adhesive, label pick-up adhesive or gum.
(3) (adj.) Having the qualities of an adhesive; being sticky, etc.
artwork / All materials used in preparing a job for printing, including illustration/photography.
assembly / A group of materials, parts, or units, including the container, adhesive, or other fastening devices, which have been brought together to form a single unit.
against the grain / At right angles to the grain direction of the paper.

B

b-flute

/ One of the undulations of a piece of corrugated fibere material, usually classified as follows:
B-Flute: height = 3/32 inch excluding the facing, generally spaced about 47 to 53 flutes to the foot.
(See FLUTE, CORRUGATION)
bleed / (verb) To print an area beyond the cut edge or score so that the design is either cut off or, as in the case of a folding carton, the extension of the design is folded under an outside flap, resulting in printed areas that extend completely to the edge of the finished package, label, or wrapper.
(adjective) A term qualifying the type of printing ordered, such as bleed-border, in which the printing is to extend beyond the normal edge obtained by cutting and scoring as in above.
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board / A heavy weight thick sheet of paper or other fiber substance (from 0.012 to 0.030 inches and up). Variations: cardboard (non-specific term), chipboard, fiberboard, paperboard, containerboard, boxboard, tagboard. (See PAPERBOARD)
box / (1)A rigid container having closed faces.
(2) A complete set-up paper box, including base and lid.
box, corrugated and solid fiber / A rectangular three-dimensional shipping container made either of solid fiberboard or of corrugated fiberboard. Distinguished from a carton, which is not designed as an outer shipping container.
boxboard / A general term designating the grades of paperboard used for fabrication of folding and set-up boxes (cartons). Customarily shipped in sheets. Principal types: bending and non-bending.
bundle / (1) A package which is formed by utilizing the contents as a mandrel around which flexible packaging material is wrapped and sealed. Contents are thus unitized for handling and shipping.
(2) Two or more articles bound or rolled together usually without compression, so as to from a package or pack.
(3) An outer or an intermediate package consisting of two or more unit packages, usually formed automatically on a bundling machine. Usually done to unitize several packages at a lower cost than by their insertion into small sized shipping containers. Two or more bundles are frequently packed into a shipping container.
C
c-flute / One of the undulations of a piece of corrugated fiber material, classified as follows:
C-flute: height = 9/64 inch excluding the facing, generally spaced about 39 to 45 flutes to the foot.
(See FLUTE, CORRUGATION)
cardboard / Term erroneously used by some as a synonym for paperboard. Not a recognized term in container materials.
certificate, box maker’s / A statement printed on a corrugated fiberboard box or a solid fiberboard box testifying that all applicable construction requirements of the carriers have been observed and identifying and locating the box maker. (See BOXMAKER)
Class A panel / A “Class A” surface is the front panel of a printed component.
compliance / An affirmative indication or judgment that he supplier of a product or service has met the requirements of the relevant specifications, contract or regulation; also a state of meeting the requirements.
corrugated board / (1) A packaging material consisting of a central member (medium) which has been fluted on a corrugator and to which one or two flat sheets of paperboard have been glued to from a single-faced corrugated board or double-faced (single wall) corrugated fiberboard. The combination of two mediums and three facings is called double wall and the combination of three mediums and four facings is called triple wall.
(2) Corrugated board is generally made in four flute sizes, designated A, B, C, and E. (See FLUTE)
corrugation / A flute, furrow, ridge, or groove.
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crease / (1) Line or mark made by folding any pliable material, hence a similar mark, however produced.
(2) (verb) To form a crease in a sheet of any material, usually for the purpose of providing a bending line. (See SCORE)
crossover / An image that continues over separate adjoining seams or folds.
D
defect / A departure of a quality characteristic from its intended level or state that occurs with a severity sufficient to cause an associated product or service not to satisfy intended normal, or reasonably foreseeable, usage requirements.
die / (1) A form, usually of hard metal, but may be of another suitable material for shaping, cutting, or stamping out parts and blanks, or
(2) of soft rubber or other material for impressing a design into a part or imprinting a design on a surface.
(3) The heated metal part used to form plastic melt into films, sheets, rods, tubing filaments, or various shapes.
die-cutting / The cutting of metal, paperboard, plastic or other material by dies. (adj.) Die-cut; having been shaped, cut, blanked, punched (for holes), etc., on a die-cutting operation.
dog ears / Extra shrink-wrap material at the package’s corners, formed during the shrink-wrapping operation.
E
E-flute / One of the undulations of a piece of corrugated fiber material, usually classified as follows:
E-flute: height = 3/64 inch excluding the facing, generally spaced about 90 to 98 flutes per foot, is used mainly in corrugated board for folding cartons. (See FLUTE, CORRUGATION)
fiberboard / (1) Fiber sheets which have been produced or laminated to a thickness which provides a degree of stiffness. Fibreboard used for container production may be corrugated board; or solid board, the thickness of which are most commonly 0.060, 0.080, 0.100, 0.120, or 0.140 inch.