The specification table for the tabletop strip-cut cardboard shredder lists suitable paper as three to five layers. It is a short entry, and it is easy to read as a general guideline rather than a hard limit. In practice, it is the entry that determines whether the cartons in your warehouse are suitable input, and it is worth checking before the machine arrives rather than after.
Start with what three to five layers means. Corrugated cardboard is described by the number of layers it contains. A three-layer board has one fluted layer between two liners. A five-layer board has two fluted layers between three liners. A seven-layer board has three fluted layers between four liners. The layers determine the thickness and the strength of the board. The specification is telling the buyer that the machine is designed for boards in the three to five layer range, which covers most standard shipping cartons.
The next question is how that range relates to the cutting thickness row. The table lists cutting thickness as max 10mm. Those two rows are connected. A five-layer board is generally thinner than 10mm, so the cutting thickness row and the layers row describe the same limit from two angles. A seven-layer board can exceed 10mm depending on the board, which is why the layers row stops at five. The two rows together tell the buyer what the machine expects.
The third question is what happens when the board is outside the range. A board that is too thick puts more load on the blade and the motor, which increases the risk of a jam and shortens the blade life. A board that is too thin is not a problem for the machine, but it may produce strips that are too light for the intended use. The range is a design window, and the machine performs best inside it.
The fourth question is how to check the cartons in your warehouse. The simplest method is to look at the edge of a carton. The fluted layer is visible as a wavy line between the liners. One wavy line is three-layer. Two wavy lines are five-layer. Three wavy lines are seven-layer. The check takes seconds, and it can be done on the cartons that arrive during a normal week rather than on a sample selected for the purpose.
The fifth question is what to do with the cartons that fall outside the range. The page says most strip-cut machines handle single-wall and double-wall corrugated cardboard, which corresponds to three-layer and five-layer. The page also says clean, dry cardboard cuts best, and that material that is too wet, heavily contaminated, or laminated hurts cutting performance and wears the blades faster. The cartons outside the range should go to the waste stream or to a different machine. Sorting them out before feeding is what keeps the blade sharp and the output consistent.
The sixth question is how the paper input relates to the output. A three-layer board produces thinner strips than a five-layer board at the same width. The packer notices the difference when filling a carton, because a thinner strip needs to be layered more times to fill the same space. That is why the layers row matters for the packing method, not just for the machine. An operation that ships mostly light goods with three-layer cartons will use more strips per order than an operation with five-layer cartons, and that difference shows up in the paper consumption over a month.
The seventh question is what the paper roll specification says. The table lists the paper roll length as about 1700m and the maximum unwind diameter as 500mm, with the paper core inner diameter at 75mm. Those numbers describe the supply, not the input cardboard. They matter for the roll change interval and for the storage space near the machine. The suitable paper row and the roll row together define the supply chain for the machine, and both should be checked before ordering.
What the specification table cannot show is the cut quality behind the number. Aircosan shafts are large, one-piece units rather than thin blades, designed for a service life of over five years and processed through lathe machining, high-frequency treatment, quenching, blackening, and multiple other steps. The material is 40Cr rather than ordinary 45# steel. 40Cr has lower brittleness and stronger impact resistance, and its machining time is more than twice that of 45#. At the same 550mm width, Aircosan shafts are visibly larger and thicker than thinner competing units and cost about 30% more, which shows in the overall machine weight. The shaft is what keeps the cut clean across the full layer range, and that is the part the table cannot express.
Aircosan machines use overload protection, so when a jam occurs, the machine stops automatically and protects the motor. Aircosan machines have side sheet metal that fits tightly with no gaps, so paper dust cannot enter the gears and cause abnormal noise or long-term wear. The machines stop when the drawer opens. The tabletop range covers 350mm, 450mm, and 550mm cutting widths at 10 m/min and up to 10mm thickness, with a ZD brand geared motor rated for 8 to 10 hours of continuous working time. Aircosan machines use a branded motor with ample power, so thick and hard cardboard feeds smoothly without repeated jamming at the inlet. Aircosan runs its own parts processing factory, controlling part quality in-house rather than assembling from mixed outside sources. The company supports logo customization from one piece and color customization from ten pieces. Products carry CE, ROHS, and UKCA certifications and hold an exclusive EU patent. After-sales responds within 12 hours and connects customers directly with engineers.
For a buyer, the practical approach is to take a carton from the incoming goods, look at the edge, and count the wavy lines. If the answer is one or two, the machine is a good fit. If the answer is three, the carton is outside the specification, and the operation should decide whether to sort it out or to look at a different model. That check takes a minute, and it prevents the disappointment of discovering the mismatch after the machine is installed.