Fiberdom has completed industrial pilot trials for its plastic-free fibre material Duranova, using a continuous reel-to-reel pilot line supplied by Germany-based Vits Technology.
The trials took place at Vits’ development centre in Germany and marked the first time Fiberdom’s material was tested in a continuous industrial reel-to-reel process.
This type of process is regarded as crucial for larger-scale production by packaging and product manufacturers.
Vits specialises in impregnation and coating lines for technical and decorative applications such as papers, films, and laminates.
Vits laboratory head Arne Weber said: “A key challenge for new materials is finding the best machine setup and corresponding process parameter for demonstrating reliable processing in continuous industrial operations.
“Running Fiberdom’s material successfully on our reel-to-reel pilot line shows that it can be integrated into the same development and scale-up environment used for established paper-based substrates, which is an important step toward future industrial implementation.”
According to Fiberdom, various production settings and paper types were evaluated during the pilot phase, with attention given to operational “stability” and consistency rather than final product features.
The company said that its plastic-free material could be processed continuously on industrial pilot equipment, supporting potential scale-up.
Fiberdom sees this as progress toward wider production to meet packaging and regulatory needs for both short- and long-term applications.
Currently, the company’s material is used commercially in Finland, notably in single-use cutlery products.
Fiberdom's chief technology officer Duncan Mayes commented: “For the packaging industry, plastic-free materials have often meant compromises between performance and scalability.
“Demonstrating that a plastic-free fibre material can run in standard reel-to-reel production environments changes that equation and broadens what is realistically possible at industrial scale for converters, board producers, and brand owners working to meet new regulatory and brand requirements.”
Last September, Fiberdom collaborated with Kiefel to advance recyclable and home-compostable fibre-based packaging.
The partnership combines Duranova with Kiefel’s dry fibre-forming technology to develop cost-effective packaging solutions.
