Finnish materials innovation company Fiberdom’s Duranova has been validated for high-speed commercial production following industrial trials with Kiefel.
The trial saw Duranova reels being run on Kiefel’s NATUREFORMER KFD 75 machine. This dry-forming trial converted paperboard into finished 3D-moulded products.
The work centred on a packaging insert used in consumer electronics to hold and protect items such as mobile devices and other small products inside the pack.
The reel-fed dry-forming has encountered commercial obstacles in the past linked to material limits and throughput issues in more complex shapes.
Fiberdom chief technology officer Duncan Mayes said: "We didn't choose this insert because it was easy; we chose it because manufacturing economics matter most in cost-sensitive applications.
"Based on demonstrated processing speeds, a single KFD 75 production line has the potential to supply over 80 million Duranova-based packaging inserts each year. That is the scale at which dry-moulded fibre can be competitive in truly mainstream applications."
Using Duranova together with Kiefel’s KFD 75 dry-forming process, the trial recorded improved cycle times and material use at high operating speeds.
According to Fiberdom, this indicates that dry-moulded fibre production can satisfy the manufacturing demands of large-scale applications and fit with regulatory developments including the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
Kiefel's dry fibre technology is used to manufacture fibre products from paper supplied directly from the reel.
Besides electronics packaging, the same production route can be used for items including food trays, lids and cutlery.
The development follows the partnership announced by Fiberdom and Kiefel in September 2025 to enhance the development and commercialisation of fibre-based packaging.
Kiefel research and development technology director Richard Hagenauer said: "This demonstration shows what becomes possible when innovative materials and advanced manufacturing technology come together.
"Combining Duranova with our KFD 75 dry-forming technology expands the range of fibre-based packaging applications that can be manufactured efficiently at true industrial scale."
