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2022/9/17

Three Japanese companies established new company, MOLDEA, to develop pulp mold ‘SILKY MOLD’

Pulp molds are attracting attention as one of the choices of packaging materials with the consciousness of plastic-free, and the high decoration cases are also increasing. Tokushu Tokai Paper Co., Ltd. and UEROKU PRINTING CO., LTD., Nagoya Mould Co, Ltd. developed “SILKY MOLD,” a pulp mold with a smooth, high-quality texture by their original manufacturing method, and established MOLDEA to sell and promote “SILKY MOLD” in February 2021. In response to users’ concerns about the burden of pulp mold production and mold costs in large lots, the company sells SILKY MOLD general-purpose products with a body lid box like a boxed lunch box.

Manufactured by the wet molding process

Pulp molds produced from recycled raw materials such as wastepaper and bagasse (squeezed sugar cane) have been attracting increasing attention as sustainable packaging materials in recent years. Many of them have been used for cushioning materials for home appliances and packagings of some foods such as eggs, but lately, they have begun to show examples of practical application in product packages requiring sophisticated design, such as cosmetics.

“SILKY MOLD” sold by MOLDEA is a new pulp mold product proposed in the packaging field where good-looking design is required. The most distinctive feature is the smooth, glossy surface realized by the unique manufacturing method. MOLDEA, which was established by a paper company, a printing company, and a molding company, utilizes their respective strengths to provide a wide range of raw materials and molds, to respond to various designs, decorations, and assembly.

Generally, a pulp mold is made by pulverizing and dissolving a raw material such as waste paper. While mixing it with water using a pulper, shaping using a mold having a product shape in a tank in which a pulp solution is accumulated, drying it naturally by skipping moisture in a drying line. On the other hand, SILKY MOLDs are made by a “wet mold” process, which is different from “dry mold.” After molding, the product is further pressed with a heated mold of the same size to heat it to blow away the moisture. This manufacturing method not only provides smoothness and glossiness like paper containers and plastic molded products but also has excellent dimensional stability. Because the heat is forcibly applied after molding to remove the moisture.

Furthermore, it is also possible to form a right-angle shape (taper angle = 0), which was difficult with the dry mold manufacturing method that naturally dries water, and it can be used as an alternative to pasting boxes. Also, the flange attached to the molded product right after removal from the mold is not done by the cut-off process using the Thomson blade but by the side cut process in which the blade is pressed against the side surface of the molded product to cut. And the cut edge is also finished cleanly.

Sales at EC sites and response to small-lot needs

The first product of the SILKY MOLDproduct is the “SILKY MOLD A5 Box,” an A5-size lid box (for secondary packaging). Standard lineup of three colors: white, black, and Ecru. In addition to decorative features such as separate color specification and UV-IJ printing/ embossing, the height of the body cover can be specified from 4 to 2cm by side-cutting. For example, the height of the lid box can be specified by post-mailing.

The aim of releasing such general purpose products is to meet the demand for small lots of pulp molds, the person in charge says. While pulp mold is a highly attractive material, many users have difficulty ordering with a large number of lots to accommodate the cost of the mold, which is a customer burden when ordering. The hurdle of introducing the pulp mold can be reduced by making it a specification that enables users to purchase in small lots and customize it, though it is expensive in a unit of one piece. They will respond separately to large orders, etc. “Of course, it can also be used for packaging and gift boxes in product fields where high design is required for the exterior, but others say that the beauty of the appearance of the “A5 box” itself is valued and that it wants to be used like a stationery box as it is.”

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