EskoArtwork Contributes to New Folding Carton Standards

EskoArtwork contributed its expertise to a completely revised edition of the European Carton Makers Association (ECMA) Code of Folding Carton Styles.

With ECMA in the driving seat, EskoArtwork made available its expertise and resources to the project team, managed by Ludwig Anckaert of LA Consulting. Intense teamwork during the past months has resulted in the first digital edition of the ECMA Code, including many new digital capabilities supporting the folding carton design and manufacturing process.

According to Anckaert, “It was a truly collaborative effort. Under the supervision of LA Consulting, the EskoArtwork Packaging Standards team based in Bangalore, India, has been working over the past several months to construct 2D and 3D drawings as well as animated folding sequences for over 244 of the most popular folding carton standards selected by the ECMA project team and endorsed by experts of leading European member converters. The result is a truly exceptional tool for both promotional and educational purposes.”

The ECMA Code provides for a new logical coding system of cartonboard packaging, aimed at simplifying communication among the folding carton industry stakeholders, packaging buyers as well as converters and designers, including educational institutions. The updated coding offers the ability to register all known and current styles of folding cartons with an application-oriented logic suitable for use with CAD/CAM applications.

Animated folding sequences help designers and manufacturers better understand how a carton will be used throughout various stages of the design process. In addition, viewing the animated process and 3D views helps brand owners and designers determine how best to place printed copy and graphics on cartons so that the final folded piece is accurate
and attractive.

“We are delighted to make this important contribution to the industry,” noted Kiran Mehendale, team leader—Packaging Standards, at EskoArtwork. “In addition to making it possible for ECMA to bring to market a state-of-the-art digital folding carton industry reference, it enables us to more easily offer the latest updates in folding carton styles to our customers by making the parametrical ArtiosCAD designs available to our customers.”

The new ECMA Code of Folding Carton Styles was recently unveiled at the ECMA Annual Congress which took place on Sept. 16-19 in Istanbul, Turkey. The congress included a Business Information Market on the first day where delegates had the opportunity to obtain a management summary of technological and materials trends presented by EskoArtwork and other suppliers to the industry.