Workshop - Functional Barriers for Moulded Pulp Packaging: Material Structure, Lamination and Coatings

This half‑day workshop gives a high‑level but technically comprehensive overview of how to design and implement functional barrier systems for moulded pulp packaging. Building on industrial case studies and the latest R&D, we will cover the role of moulded pulp substrate properties (density, smoothness, porosity), the choice between lamination films and coatings, and how substrate–coating interactions affect barrier performance, recyclability and cost.

Participants will learn which barrier levels are needed for different food and non‑food applications (water, water vapour, oxygen, grease/oil, mineral oil, aroma), how to build up barrier stacks using coatings, laminates and hybrid concepts, and what is realistically achievable with compostable and “plastic‑free” chemistries today. We will also discuss process technologies for 3D objects (spray, dip/flow coating, drying, plasma coating (PECVD)) and typical defect mechanisms such as pinholes and poor coverage.

• How to match barrier requirements (WVTR, OTR, grease, water) to specific product and shelf‑life needs
• How moulded pulp properties influence coating, lamination and sealing performance
• Trade‑offs between plastic films, dispersion coatings and “plastic‑free” / bio‑based chemistries, including recyclability and compostability
• Practical strategies to build robust barrier stacks on 3D moulded pulp
• Typical coating and lamination defects and how to avoid them in production

The workshop is aimed at packaging developers, converters, brand owners, and material suppliers who want a realistic, commercially oriented view on barrier solutions for moulded fibre.

13:30 – 14:00 – Registration & refreshments

14:00 – 14:10 – Welcome & Workshop Introduction

• Hosts: Alexey Vishtal (Capsul’in Pro) & Alexander Leo Bardenstein (Danish Technological Institute)  
• Objectives, structure, and how the content links to the main conference

Session 1 – Barrier needs & role of the substrate

14:10 – 14:40 (30 min)
Title: Which barriers are needed, and what makes moulded pulp different?

• Barrier functions and typical targets: water, water vapour (WVTR), oxygen (OTR), grease/oil, mineral oil, aroma
• Barrier requirements for different food types (dry, fatty, chilled, frozen, MAP, reduced shelf life vs. long shelf life)
• How moulded pulp differs from paper/board: grammage, thickness, density, porosity, 3D geometries
• Impact of substrate smoothness, fibre network and forming process on barrier layer build‑up and pinhole formation
• First interactive poll/discussion: participants’ main product groups and barrier pain points

Session 2 – Barrier technologies: Plastic film lamination vs. Liquid coatings

14:40 – 15:20 (40 min)
Title: Lamination films and “wet” barrier coatings for 3D Moulded Pulp

• Overview of barrier options and performance ranges (mono‑ and multilayer laminates, wet coatings, dispersion coatings, vacuum deposition)
• Laminated barrier films on moulded pulp: 
  • Film types (PE, PP, PLA, PBS, EVOH multilayers, emerging bio‑films)
  • Surface requirements: roughness, mechanical anchoring, plasma/corona pre‑treatment
  • Thermoforming lamination, uniformity in complex geometries, digital/zone heating
  • Impact on recyclability, fibre yield and visual impurities
• Electrostatic dry powder spraying and fusion of polymer particles (e.g. PE coating): 
  • Emerging technology where charged polymer powder is deposited and then fused into a film, giving very homogeneous coverage on complex 3D shapes without a separate drying step
  • Strongly limited by the thermal properties and process window of the chosen polymer and currently far less established than film lamination or liquid coatings
• Liquid barrier coatings: 
  • Spray, dip/flow and rotational coating on 3D shapes
  • Drying technologies (hot air, IR, microwave, vacuum, ultrasound‑assisted) and their effect on defects
  • Typical coating defects (pinholes, poor coverage, blistering, cracking, fibre rising) and mitigation

15:20 – 15:35 – Coffee break

Session 3 – Chemistries, “plastic‑free” options and hybrid concepts

15:35 – 16:15 (40 min)
Title: From dispersion coatings to “plastic‑free” and high‑barrier hybrid systems

• WVTR and OTR barrier design with “wet” coatings: 
  • Polyolefin and similar dispersions; pre‑coats vs. multi‑layer stacks
  • Sensitivity of barriers to defects and humidity; importance of gas‑tight sealing
• PFAS‑free grease and water barrier strategies: wet‑end and surface treatments
• “Plastic‑free” / SUPD‑compliant coatings: 
  • Waxes, polysaccharides, proteins, rosin/shellac, natural rubber, nanocellulose
  • Performance limits, film formation, odour, migration, supply‑side constraints
  • Recyclability and compostability vs. barrier and heat‑seal performance
• Sol‑gel and PECVD / plasma‑assisted coatings as emerging enhanced barrier options: 
  • Sol‑gel coating surface functionalisation for grease and water/oil resistance
  • SiOx PECVD as gas‑barrier primers and in hybrid stacks on moulded pulp

Session 4 – Building barrier strategies & interactive Q&A

16:15 – 16:45 (30 min)
Title: How to choose a barrier strategy for your application

• Step‑by‑step roadmap from product requirement to barrier concept: 
  • Define barrier targets, shelf life and end‑of‑life (recycling, composting, “plastic‑free”)
  • Choose between film lamination vs. coating vs. hybrid; process constraints (3D geometry, line speed)
  • Typical “good enough” solutions vs. “ultra‑high barrier” niche strategies
• Case examples (anonymised) connecting back to participants’ sectors (food service, MAP trays, dry goods, etc.)
• Interactive Q&A and group discussion

Wrap‑Up

16:45 – 17:00 (15 min)

• Summary of key learnings and decision criteria
• Quick checklist: “What to ask your supplier / what to measure in trials”
• Outlook and potential link to talks during the main Conference