Cardboard Tubes Industry Information
Cardboard Tubes are wood pulp products, also known as cardboard tubes
wound into cylindrical shapes for a wide variety of functions in
different industries. They are made from wood pulp bases including
fiberboard, paperboard, Kraft paper and paper-adhesive composites; many
of these harder paper-based materials are generically considered
cardboard. Most commonly used for transporting papers, posters and
other roll-able items, shipping tubes and mailing tubes
are widely used by large companies and individuals alike. Besides
shipping and mailing, they are found in the automotive industry, which
uses cardboard tubes as stud protectors, bearing packaging, flare tubes
and shaft protectors, the electronics industry, which uses them for
fuse tubes and wire insulators, and the food industry, which uses foil
or waxed tubes
as sifter cans for parmesan cheese, coffee, spices, mixed nuts, chips
and other perishables. Other common industrial uses for cardboard tubes
include fireworks canisters and rocket bodies, poster, blueprint and
print containers, point of purchase displays for consumer items;
caulking and greasing tube dispensers, telescopic cans, containers for
fragile or hazardous materials for labs and medical fields, coin banks for large amounts of coin and cash money donations, and paper cores
for winding electrical, fabric, adhesive, paper and converting
products. Contractors and construction industries use large, highly
durable cardboard tubes, called sonotubes, for concrete pillar forming.
Shipping
and mailing tubes house any sort of roll-able items, such as posters,
blue prints, signs and paintings that should not be folded. They, like
all cardboard tubes, are made out of cardboard, but these tubes are
spiral-wound with adhesives, which give them the added strength they
need to protect items from harm. Mailing and shipping tubes come in
different strengths, depending on how fragile their contents are or
where they are being shipped. They guard against any denting, bumping
and dropping that may happen during shipping. Shipping and mailing
tubes are often stronger than cardboard or plastic in box form, and are
closed at both ends by a glued or removable plug made of metal or
plastic. They may also be crimped at both ends. Shipping and mailing
tubes come in a variety of different sizes for oddly-shaped items, but
must comply with strict size regulations put fourth by the U.S. Postal
Service.
The other most common ways cardboard
tubes are used broadly range in terms of function, size and industry.
Coin banks are mostly for fund-raising, nonprofit and charity
organizations to collect change and cash for a specific cause. They may
find other uses around the house, such as for saving money or storage.
They are coated in colorful, customizable printed foil and are closed
at both ends with plastic caps, like shipping tubes, but the top of a
coin bank has a large slit for dropping money. The next common paper
tube, a sonotube, is used in construction and engineering as an
alternative to concrete column forming. The concrete is poured into
cardboard tubes made from high quality fiber layers that are
spiral-wound with strong adhesives, and are very strong in cylinder
form. They are easier to transport, set up and dispose of than steel or
fiberglass tubes, and they are also considerably less expensive to
manufacture. And finally, paper cores are used in a wide range of
different industries that manufacture items that come in roll-form.
Paper cores are used as the sturdy base which those products, such as
tape, paper, plastic and metal foil. They can be thin for gentle
material like toilet paper, or thick and sturdy for packing tape, which
is very dense. They are also used in industrial applications to store
bulk materials, slitting and die-cutting.
Cardboard
tubes are manufactured from recycled paper and can be used over again,
making them a cost-efficient alternative to metal, plastic, glass and
wood. They are comparably quite cost-effective because they are easier
for manufacturers to cut, purchase and dispose of than most other
materials. They also rival plastic and metal tubes in
strength-to-weight ratio, making them a perfect solution for mailing,
shipping, storing and distributing almost any material. Difficult to
dent in cylindrical shape and almost impossible to break, mailing and
shipping tubes offer superior protection from rough handling. Cardboard
is a porous material, making it possible for electrical insulation
tubes to absorb damaging moisture, preventing shorts, while paper
mailing tubes help keep valuable posters and prints dry and paper food
canisters keep spices and powders from clumping with moisture. Tough,
flexible and renewable, cardboard tubes are a great commercial and
industrial solution.