VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, in collaboration with Aalto University and Finnish industrial partners, has developed a new technology for shaping cardboard in a unique continuous process to create reel-to-reel origami-inspired structures for fibre-based packaging materials.
The origami folds have the capacity to yield entirely new properties from cardboard. The structures’ light weight and durability provide an excellent and visually appealing alternative to protective packing materials like plastic and expanded polystyrene. The aesthetics of the material have also garnered interest from designers.
The market for packaging materials continues to expand with the dominance of e-commerce. However, there is also rising concern over the carbon footprint of packaging as well as the composition of materials. For example, global sustainability issues like the potential environmental impact of microplastic pollution mean that demand for new, sustainable packaging solutions continues to rise.
Involving 13 different companies, organisations, and universities at various stages, the FOLD and FOLD2 projects are keystones in a quest to renew and expand how cardboard is used as a packaging material. The two-phase project began with designing a machine to fold the origami cardboard, with the next phase of the project set to begin testing other materials. The outcome has been a resounding success, leading to new applications of cardboard to manufacture packaging material that is flexible, durable, versatile, and sustainable.
“The technology of FOLD is completely unique in the world. Origami folding transforms cardboard into a flexible, protective, and visually appealing material unlike anything that’s previously been available for industry-wide production. The technology we’ve developed also has the capacity to produce foldable materials from recycled goods,” notes Jarmo Kouko, creator of the FOLD project and Research Team Leader at VTT.
Kouko originally drew inspiration for the project while attending a packaging industry conference on various folding techniques. Traditionally, origami is handcrafted, with its intricate and complex folds often taking several hours to construct by hand. This intensive process would usually be a limitation for commercial packaging, but Kouko was inspired by the idea of mechanical folding that could refine materials into protective, lightweight, and visually striking forms.
The solution mechanically replicates the hand-folding process, adding the benefit of consistent precision and quality that would be difficult to achieve by hand. Since the technology can be applied to a range of commercially available paperboard grades, it requires no changes in the materials used.
“The Japanese Miura origami pattern we’ve chosen is relatively simple, which makes it potentially suitable for folding many other materials. We have investigated the possibilities of developing techniques and models where felt or film made from PET, widely used in plastic packaging, could be shaped in the Miura form. We’ve also performed some preliminary testing for other materials, such as aluminium foil,” Kouko continues.
