Tooling for production of the Green Fiber Bottle

Ever since the invention of plastics, packaging has become extremely cheap and efficient. In recent times, the demand for more ecological packaging is increasing leading back to the roots of using naturally available resources, which are biodegradable. The manufacturing process of the Green Fiber Bottle (GFB) is based on moulding of wood fibers. The process is still at the research stage and not conunercialized. Tooling is the most critical element in moulding and should be adapted to quick water removal techniques, such as Impulse Drying Technology. In this work, functional requirements for the development of a robust tooling solution are identified. Tooling alternatives are investigated and compared with the capacity to enable water removal. Characterization and assessment of porous tool materials using computed tomography are also outlined and discussed. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 25th CIRP Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) Conference