Methods and apparatus for vacuum forming and subsequently applying topical coatings fiber-based food containers. The slurry includes one or more of an embedded moisture barrier, vapor barrier, and oil barrier, and the topical coating comprises one or more of a vapor barrier, a moisture barrier, an oil barrier, and an oxygen barrier. For food containers having deep sidewalls, a spray coating system includes a first nozzle for applying a full cone spray pattern to the bottom surface of the container, and a second nozzle for applying a hollow cone spray pattern to the inside surfaces of the side walls.

Disclosed is a method to form arbitrarily shaped, uniform, lightweight, thermally insulating and acoustically absorptive automotive components with controllable density, thickness, porosity, and surface integrity. The method is based on natural cellulosic fibers such as those found in cardboard and paper and uses a thermoplastic fiber and particle slurry to form fusible components. The method produces components having the benefit of commercially available thermoformed fiber mats or open-cell extruded foam components with excellent acoustical properties, enhanced thermal insulation, and are light weight, which limits engine inefficiency, and the high cost of such products so as to allow large scale implementation.

Methods and apparatus for vacuum forming and subsequently applying topical coatings fiber-based food containers. The slurry includes one or more of an embedded moisture barrier, vapor barrier, and oil barrier, and the topical coating comprises one or more of a vapor barrier, a moisture barrier, an oil barrier, and an oxygen barrier. For food containers having deep sidewalls, a spray coating system includes a first nozzle for applying a full cone spray pattern to the bottom surface of the container, and a second nozzle for applying a hollow cone spray pattern to the inside surfaces of the side walls.

Methods and apparatus for vacuum forming and subsequently applying topical coatings fiber-based food containers. The slurry includes one or more of an embedded moisture barrier, vapor barrier, and oil barrier, and the topical coating comprises one or more of a vapor barrier, a moisture barrier, an oil barrier, and an oxygen barrier. For food containers having deep sidewalls, a spray coating system includes a first nozzle for applying a full cone spray pattern to the bottom surface of the container, and a second nozzle for applying a hollow cone spray pattern to the inside surfaces of the side walls.

There is disclosed a process of manufacturing a fibreboard from a waste material, for example from a corrugated waste material, wherein the process comprises: refining in a range of 5 to 30 percent of the waste material into micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC), using a mechanical micro-fibrillation process; pulping in a range of 70 to 95 percent of the waste material with water to obtain a waste pulp; dispersing the micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) into the waste pulp to obtain a micro-fibrillated waste pulp; moulding the micro-fibrillated waste pulp by applying a pressure to obtain a moulded fibreboard, using a moulding process; and drying the moulded fibreboard at a temperature to obtain the fibreboard with a density in a range of 500 to 1000 kilograms per cubic metre (kg/m.sup.3), for example in a range of 650 to 850 kilograms per cubic metre (kg/m.sup.3).

There is disclosed a process of manufacturing a fibreboard from a waste material, for example from a corrugated waste material, wherein the process comprises: refining in a range of 5 to 30 percent of the waste material into micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC), using a mechanical micro-fibrillation process; pulping in a range of 70 to 95 percent of the waste material with water to obtain a waste pulp; dispersing the micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) into the waste pulp to obtain a micro-fibrillated waste pulp; moulding the micro-fibrillated waste pulp by applying a pressure to obtain a moulded fibreboard, using a moulding process; and drying the moulded fibreboard at a temperature to obtain the fibreboard with a density in a range of 500 to 1000 kilograms per cubic metre (kg/m.sup.3), for example in a range of 650 to 850 kilograms per cubic metre (kg/m.sup.3).

[Object] To provide a fiberboard manufacturing method that is suitable for efficiently manufacturing a fiberboard in which warpage is suppressed, and to provide a fiberboard that is obtained by such a fiberboard manufacturing method.

[Solution] The fiberboard manufacturing method of the present invention includes the following pulp crushing step S1, mat forming step S2, and hot-pressing step S3. In the pulp crushing step S1, pulp dispersed in water is beaten in a gap between opposed blades to thereby produce a plant-based fiber material that has a particle size D50 of 50 to 110 μm and a freeness value of 150 to 300 ml and that contains an adhesive component. In the mat forming step S2, a mat is formed from the plant-based fiber material. In the hot-pressing step S3, by hot-pressing the mat, a fiberboard is formed from the mat through a process of plasticizing the adhesive component in the mat.

Container insulation including a batt comprised of large paper particles, at least 90% of which by weight are greater than 10 mm in diameter. Less than 5% by weight binder fibers are used, which have a length of at least 20 mm. Most preferably, no binder fibers are used. Where the batts are faced with paper, the paper is coated with a biodegradable coating. The resulting product is repulpable and recyclable in accordance with Fiber Box Association (FBA) testing protocols.

Container insulation including a batt comprised of large paper particles, at least 90% of which by weight are greater than 10 mm in diameter. Less than 5% by weight binder fibers are used, which have a length of at least 20 mm. Most preferably, no binder fibers are used. Where the batts are faced with paper, the paper is coated with a biodegradable coating. The resulting product is repulpable and recyclable in accordance with Fiber Box Association (FBA) testing protocols.

The present disclosure relates to a molding station (20) for molding (210), a preforming station (30) for preforming (220), a hot-pressing station (40) for final shaping (230) a formed part (10) made of environmentally-friendly-degradable fiber material (11) in a fiber-forming process in a fiber-forming system (100). The fiber-forming system (100) produces the formed part (10) having the above components (20, 30, 40) by means of the method (200) performed in the fiber-forming system (100) as a fiber-forming process.