"The patent related to bottle forming is especially interesting," says PulPac's Chief Innovation Officer, Ove Larsson. "We have a few viable solutions for this. One involves turning the cellulose web into a cylindric shape and then forming the bottle. Another important aspect is to form the bottles in a "seamless" continuous process. And we have filed an application for that. We seek to harness the possibilities of using rolls and a 'forming shoulder' to fold the web, turning it into a cylinder."
Working with cellulosic fiber has many challenges that need to be considered. Larsson elaborates: "While developing the dry molded fiber technology, we've learned so much about the complexities presented by this weblike yet rigid material. And when trying to figure out how to turn it into a bottle, we've realized that the web's feeding angles, thickness, types of layers, and how to join them all interfere with obtaining an optimal result. And the solution presented in our patent application features a forming bladder connected to a pressure lance.”
