FINALIST
Dry Molded Fiber by PulPac
Molded fiber for making rigid 3D shaped fiber-based packaging products is well known to make an indent into segments of the rigid plastics market, based on its biobased Frontend material. However, the process requires considerable amounts of water. Dry Molded Fiber is a dry process that is up to ten times as fast as traditional fiber forming methods, making unit economics very competitive to plastics. It also saves huge amounts of water and energy giving up to 80% lower CO2 emissions.
The raw material used is pulp, a commodity item and globally available. Chemical pulp is the standard raw material, but the process can handle other types of cellulose-based materials as well. The process enables complete control of the fiber distribution and thickness. The web is coated with barrier additive and laminated with tissue on either side. The tissue adds clean surfaces, process stability and could be used for coloring or patterning surfaces of the parts. The web is fed into a standard press, with unique tooling, where the parts are molded in forming tools, using pressure and heat. The fiber waste is recycled in-line and material efficiency is up to 99%.
Registrant: PulPac