Not every box needs cushioning. A lot of them just need things to stay where they are put.
That is the gap strip-cut machines fill, and it is why they exist alongside perforating models rather than replacing them. A perforating machine cuts patterns into cardboard so it stretches into a three-dimensional honeycomb that absorbs impact and fills voids. A strip-cut machine makes straight cuts, producing clean, compact, uniform strips. The output is different, the applications are different, and the buying decision is different.
Aircosan's tabletop strip-cut range covers the same widths as the perforating line: 350mm, 450mm, and 550mm. Speed is 10 metres per minute. Maximum cardboard thickness is 10mm, which covers standard single-wall and a good share of double-wall board. Units run on 110V or 220V at 400W, use a ZD brand gear motor, and are rated for 8 to 10 hours of continuous operation. The drawer interlock stops the machine when opened.
Because the cardboard is cut rather than stretched, the strips keep most of their original strength. That characteristic drives everything about where they work well.
Strips suit void fill where you want density rather than bulk. They stay where they are placed instead of springing back, which means a box packed on Friday arrives packed on Monday. They wrap products to prevent surface scuffing, which matters for items with a finished face that only needs basic protection. They sit between items in the same box to reduce rubbing during handling and transport. They line boxes to add structure and improve how the inside looks when the customer opens it.
There are limits, and they should be stated before purchase rather than discovered afterwards. For genuinely fragile or irregularly shaped products, strips do not absorb impact the way expanded mesh does. A ceramic item or a precision instrument needs the three-dimensional structure that only a perforating machine produces. Strip-cut machines also need reasonably clean input. Light tape and labels are fine. Staples, metal inserts, and reinforcing materials should be removed before feeding. Damp or heavily contaminated cardboard cuts poorly and wears the blades faster, which raises maintenance costs over time.
The machines are built for a bench. The 350mm unit measures around 490 x 293 x 290mm and weighs roughly 34kg. The 550mm version measures about 690 x 293 x 290mm and weighs around 45kg. Both are narrow enough to sit against a wall or under a bench overhang, and heavy enough to stay put when the motor runs. Setup is plug-and-play on a standard outlet, with no commissioning, no electrical work, and in most cases no dedicated circuit.
Where strip-cut output fits best: small and medium packing stations working directly at the bench, e-commerce operations turning waste boxes into fill while reducing consumable spend, manufacturing plants needing basic protection for light components, packaging companies replacing plastic fill with recyclable cardboard, and small-batch sellers working from limited space with low maintenance tolerance.
What is worth understanding before choosing between strip and mesh is the difference in how material behaves in the box. Mesh expands to fill space and absorbs shock. Strips sit in place and control movement. If your products are light and your problem is shifting rather than impact, strips usually do the job better and are easier to control. If your products are fragile, mesh is the correct answer, and no amount of strip output will substitute for it.
The components underneath are the same as the perforating models. Aircosan shafts are large one-piece units machined from 40Cr steel, designed for five or more years of service and processed through lathe work, high-frequency treatment, quenching, and blackening. The side sheet metal fits tightly to keep paper dust out of the gears. The motor is a branded brushless unit with overload protection, so a jam stops the machine rather than burning out the motor. These details do not appear in a comparison of cutting widths, but they determine how the machine behaves in year three.
Aircosan manufactures these units in its own facility and also builds floor-standing models with cutter shafts up to 1200mm. That manufacturing range is relevant context. It suggests the company designs for different packaging realities rather than taking one product and stretching it across every use case.
If your line moves light goods at speed and needs predictable, controllable material that stays where it is placed, strips are the practical choice. If you are protecting fragile items or irregular shapes, look at the perforating models instead. The decision is about the product going in the box, not about which machine is more capable in the abstract.