HTAECO MOLDED PULP PACKAGING CUSTOMIZATION SERVICE GUIDE
♻ How can precision-engineered molded pulp packaging boost both brand power and sustainability?
You may have used custom molded pulp packaging before—but do you truly understand it? It’s far more than “making a tray that fits.” Behind every great pulp design is a careful balance of design precision, sustainability goals, production feasibility, and brand storytelling.
At HTAeco, we’ve refined a repeatable process that helps brands win on both sustainability and business outcomes. Today, we’re sharing the full approach—so whether or not you work with us, you can apply these principles to improve your next molded-pulp project.
A strong start prevents costly rework later. We connect four tightly linked stages:
Creative Concept: Align packaging with brand vision, market positioning, and functional needs.
Graphic Design: Typography, color, and layout must pop on shelf while staying on brand.
Structural Engineering: Precise modeling to lock in fillets, draft angles, spacing, etc., and avoid molding defects.
Mold Design: Ensure consistency and scalability in mass production.
Pro tip: Early alignment among design, engineering, and production prevents the “looks great but can’t be made” problem.
File formats: We use RHINO/UG/CREO for structural design and deliver STP/XT files to provide NURBS surface data for editable geometry and toolmaking. Mesh models are for 3D printing and visual rendering only.
Design Requirements-- Radius
Flat-plane (horizontal) fillets have minimal effect; vertical fillets should scale with product height—the taller the wall, the larger the vertical R-fillet.
Design Requirements - Draft Angles
Design Requirements-- Gap
As spacing decreases, the corresponding draw depth should be reduced and the fillet radius increased to mitigate cracking, pulp retention, press-induced darkening, and demolding difficulties. A spacing of 10 mm or greater is recommended.
Design Requirements- narrow section
Narrow sections of molded-pulp parts are prone to pulp pooling during vacuum/suction forming; therefore the feature width must be controlled. Capable minimum: 8 mm. For stable mass production, design to ≥12 mm.
Trimming Processes:Circular cutting&Flat cutting
Circular cutting：2–4 cuts per pass; recommended trim margin (single-edge spacing) 10–15 mm.
Flat cutting (full-sheet): entire sheet cut in one operation; recommended trim margin (single-edge spacing) 5–10 mm.
Serrated Blade Process：
Serrated-Blade: process: Uses a saw-tooth blade to cut uniform tooth notches along the fold line, preparing the part for clean, controlled folding.
V-Groove Process：
The V-groove process uses a V-groove jig/fixture to machine a V-shaped channel along the fold line. After folding, the flanks meet flush to form a tight, clean seam.
Fold Line Process：
Forms a recessed fold (score) line directly in the mold at the designated fold edge, guiding the bend without secondary operations.
Half-Cutting Process：
Forms a partial-depth cut along the fold edge while leaving a residual web of fiber, so the part remains integral and folds cleanly. Specify cut depth, line width, and tolerance per design.
Fully automatic machine: Fully automated, high-precision operation with high daily throughput.
Manual machine: Split hot-press configuration with manual part transfer; offers higher press force per station.
Automatic machine mold：Aluminum alloy 6061-T6 (GB standard); machining precision ±0.05 mm
Manual machine mold: Forming mold: ABS with removable mesh screen; machining precision ±0.10 mm. Hot-press mold: Aluminum alloy 6061-T6 (GB standard).
Wet Pressing：Smooth surface finish, suitable for premium retail packaging.
Dry Pressing：
Suitable for impact-resistant applications such as large electronics packaging, egg trays, and fruit trays.
Semi-Dry Pressing：
Semi-dry press parts achieve surface smoothness and material density approaching wet-press quality, making them suitable for inner trays and applications with less-stringent tolerance/finish requirements.
We commonly use bagasse (sugarcane fiber), bamboo fiber, and wood fiber.
Bagasse Fiber：Renewable, good flexibility/pliability, and cost-effective.
Bamboo fiber: High tensile strength, rapidly renewable growth cycle, strong sustainability profile.
Wood fiber: Mature pulping process; high structural stiffness/rigidity.
Pro tip: Blending fiber furnishes can optimize surface appearance, mechanical strength, and cost.
Smooth Surface Process
Smooth (Polished) Mold Finish: Precision-polish the mold cavity to a high-gloss, low-roughness surface so the molded pulp replicates a smooth, refined finish.
Texture etching process
Etch/engrave regular micro-relief textures (e.g., fine sand, leather grain) on the mold cavity so the pattern is replicated onto the molded-pulp surface during forming.
Embossing (Relief) Process
Machines 3D relief features—raised or recessed—into the mold cavity so the geometry is replicated on the part surface during forming, producing an embossed (raised) or debossed (recessed) effect. Specify relief height/depth, draft, minimum radii, and coverage.
For molded-pulp gift boxes, we recommend white or natural (unbleached)—both are the intrinsic fiber base colors. Custom colors require higher MOQs; the deeper the shade, the higher the cost (pigment loading & process control).
UV printing: Supports multi-color graphics with vivid color and high resolution; higher unit cost.
Screen printing: Suited to single or two-color work; mature/simple process with lower cost.
Pad printing: Capable on curved/irregular surfaces; excellent fidelity and fine detail reproduction; higher cost.
Hot stamping (gold foil): Metallic gold sheen with excellent lightfastness/UV stability.
Hot stamping (silver foil): Silver-white metallic finish; conveys a modern, minimalist look.
Holographic foil stamping:
Strong diffractive/iridescent effect with color shift by viewing angle; high visual impact.
Sealing/closure label:
Applied across the box opening to provide basic retention and seal integrity; also carries product information and decorative graphics to enhance overall design and shelf appeal.
Scodix digital enhancement:
Enables raised UV (3D UV/UV emboss) and digital foiling for rich tactile/visual effects; higher cost and longer lead time.
The right level of detailing can elevate your pack from a functional container to a branded experience.
Summary
Precision-engineered molded-pulp packaging combines brand building with sustainability. It impacts not only appearance, but also production efficiency, cost control, and the achievement of sustainability targets.
At HTAeco, we use 100% biodegradable materials, recognized certification frameworks, and an end-to-end delivery model to take projects seamlessly from concept to launch.
Join the conversation
In sustainable packaging, which matters more—design appeal or cost control? Tell us in the comments. We’ll select a few responses for a complimentary packaging optimization review.
