Mixed material packaging is common in warehouses that receive products from many suppliers. A single carton may contain cardboard, plastic film, foam inserts, and paper labels, all mixed together. When a cardboard shredder is the main tool for processing that carton, the operator has to separate the materials, because the machine can only handle cardboard. The separation is a skill, and the skill determines how much of the carton is recovered and how much goes to waste.
The first material to separate is plastic film. Plastic film wraps products and bundles cartons, and it is often stuck to the cardboard with tape. The film does not cut cleanly, and it wraps around the shaft if it gets into the machine. The operator should peel the film off the carton before feeding the carton. The film goes to the plastic waste stream, and the carton goes to the shredder.
The second material is foam inserts. Foam inserts protect fragile products, and they are often taped or glued inside the carton. The foam does not cut cleanly, and it produces output that is mixed with foam particles. The operator should remove the foam before feeding the carton. The foam goes to the foam waste stream, and the carton goes to the shredder.
The third material is paper labels. Paper labels are similar to the carton, and they can go into the shredder without causing problems. The label material mixes with the output, which affects the appearance but not the function. The operator does not have to remove paper labels, but removing them produces cleaner output.
The fourth material is plastic labels. Plastic labels do not cut the way paper does, and they can leave plastic fragments in the output. The operator should remove plastic labels before feeding the carton.
The fifth material is staples and metal items. Staples, screws, and small metal parts damage the blade and can cause a serious jam. The operator should check the carton for metal items and remove them before feeding. 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#. A durable shaft tolerates occasional contact with hard material, but it is not designed to cut metal, and repeated metal contact will shorten its life.
The sixth material is strapping. Plastic strapping holds cartons closed during shipping, and it does not cut cleanly. It wraps around the shaft and causes jams. The operator should remove the strapping before feeding the carton.
The seventh thing is the sorting process. The sorting should happen at the unpacking area, where the carton is opened and the contents are removed. The person unpacking the carton is the person who sees what is inside, and that person is the best one to remove the non-cardboard materials. The sorting takes seconds per carton, and it prevents the jams and blade damage that cost minutes or hours.
The eighth thing is the training. Operators should be trained to recognize the different materials and to know which ones have to be removed. Aircosan machines use overload protection - when a jam occurs, the machine automatically cuts power and stops, protecting the motor. That protection reduces the damage from materials that get through, but it does not prevent the jam from happening. The prevention is in the sorting. 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. Aircosan machines use one-button start, a pressure gauge that shows status clearly, and a panel that groups the controls in the order they are used. 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 packing team, the practical approach is to sort at unpacking, train the team on what to remove, and check the carton before feeding. Those three habits keep the machine running and the blade sharp, even when the packaging is mixed.