PulPac recenly announced that its intellectual property portfolio within dry molded fiber has surpassed 500 national patent grants globally. The milestone comes as dry molded fiber gains recognition as an established manufacturing method rather than a new and emerging alternative.
For decades, fiber forming has been dominated by wet processes. Today, the category is broadening as dry molded fiber gains traction as a scalable and competitive fiber forming method.
“Dry molded fiber is no longer an experimental technology. It is an industrial category in its own right, and we are seeing the market move from curiosity to commitment,” says Viktor Wingård Börjesson, chief operating officer at PulPac. “The intellectual property platform and engineering experience we have built over the past decade provide a stable foundation for companies investing in dry molded fiber, and that is increasingly reflected in the level of industrial engagement we are seeing.”
PulPac’s patent portfolio spans fiber preparation and airlaying, forming and pressing methods, tooling configurations and integrated functional features. Surpassing 500 national patent grants reinforces the company’s position as the most established intellectual property holder within industrial dry forming of fiber.
Reaching 500 granted patents represents years of accumulated engineering experience and continuous process refinement. PulPac alone is approaching 800,000 R&D hours invested in dry molded fiber. That accumulated knowledge significantly reduces uncertainty in industrial implementation and lowers the barriers for scale.
Industrialization is supported by PulPac’s ecosystem of leading machine builders. This network brings together globally active companies with deep expertise spanning injection molding, nonwovens, fiber processing, and advanced packaging automation. Continuous developments within this ecosystem, including expanded dry molded fiber platform capabilities, demonstrate strong industrial commitment and support broader implementation across markets.
“We see clear signs that dry molded fiber is approaching a tipping point,” concludes Wingård Börjesson. “The engagement of globally established machine builders is one indicator, while regulatory developments such as the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation are accelerating demand for scalable fiber-based alternatives. Implementation is increasingly happening alongside plastic conversion and traditional wet molded fiber production rather than replacing them outright, lowering the barrier to adoption. The fundamentals for large-scale implementation are now in place.”
