Methods And Apparatus For Manufacturing Fiber-based Produce Containers
Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a microwavable food container include: forming a wire mesh over a mold comprising a mirror image of the microwavable food container; immersing the wire mesh in a fiber-based slurry bath; drawing a vacuum across the wire mesh to cause fiber particles to accumulate at the wire mesh surface; and removing the wire mesh including the accumulated fiber particles from the slurry bath; wherein the slurry comprises one or more of a moisture barrier, an oil barrier, and a vapor barrier.
Claim CLM-00001. 1. A method of manufacturing a food container, comprising:
forming a mesh in the shape of a mold corresponding to the food container; immersing the mesh in a fiber-based slurry; drawing a vacuum across the mesh to cause fiber particles to accumulate at the mesh surface; and thereafter removing the mesh and the accumulated fiber particles from the slurry bath; wherein the slurry comprises a moisture barrier component in the range of 1%-10% by weight.