{"id":1386,"date":"2026-08-21T11:05:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T03:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sheeonpulp.com\/?post_type=news&p=1386"},"modified":"2026-08-20T14:14:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T06:14:55","slug":"how-bagasse-paper-plates-are-made-from-pulp","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/sheeonpulp.com\/de\/nachrichten\/how-bagasse-paper-plates-are-made-from-pulp\/","title":{"rendered":"Wie Bagasse-Pappteller aus Zellstoff hergestellt werden"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sheeon Pulp Technical Team | Technical Content Team | Published: August 21, 2026<\/p>\n

Bagasse paper plates are made by re-pulping dried Bagasse-Zellstoff<\/a><\/strong><\/span> into a water slurry, forming it into plate shapes on a mesh mold, pressing out the water, hot-pressing the shape, then drying and trimming the finished piece. The input pulp’s brightness, fiber strength and dirt count set the ceiling on plate quality before molding even starts.<\/p>\n

Why the Starting Pulp Matters Before You Touch a Molding Machine<\/h2>\n

Manufacturers researching this process often start at the molding stage and treat the raw pulp as a fixed input. That’s backwards. A plate’s final surface color, tear resistance and food-safety profile are largely locked in by the pulp specification before it reaches the pulper \u2014 no amount of pressing or drying corrects for low tensile index or high dirt count in the starting material.<\/p>\n

For reference, gebleichter Bagasse-Zellstoff<\/a><\/strong><\/span> suited to tableware production carries the following published specification:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Parameter<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\nWert<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\nWhy It Matters for Plates<\/b><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Helligkeit<\/td>\n>80%<\/td>\nDetermines finished plate whiteness without added whitening agents<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Schmutzmenge, 0,3\u20135,0 mm\u00b2<\/td>\n<35 mm\u00b2\/500 g<\/td>\nVisible specks on a white plate surface come directly from this figure<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zugfestigkeitsindex<\/td>\n>55 N\u00b7m\/g<\/td>\nGoverns rim and wall strength once molded and dried<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tr\u00e4nenindex<\/td>\n>5,0 mN\u00b7m\u00b2\/g<\/td>\nAffects resistance to cracking when the plate flexes under food weight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Burst-Index<\/td>\n>4,0 kPa\u00b7m\u00b2\/g<\/td>\nCorrelates with puncture resistance against forks and sharp food edges<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Esche<\/td>\n<0,7%<\/td>\nLower mineral residue reduces forming-screen clogging during molding<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Luftfeuchtigkeit<\/td>\n<15%<\/td>\nAffects how much water the re-pulping stage needs to add back<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"Gebleichter<\/h2>\n

Step-by-Step: Pulp to Finished Plate<\/h2>\n

Step 1 \u2014 Re-Pulp the Dried Sheet Into Slurry<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dried bagasse pulp sheets or bales are broken apart and mixed with water in a hydrapulper until the fiber disperses into a uniform slurry, typically at a low consistency suited to pumping through a molding line. Moisture content of the incoming pulp (published at <15% for Sheeon’s bleached grade) affects how much water this stage needs to add to reach forming consistency \u2014 verify by checking that the slurry flows evenly with no visible fiber clumps before moving to the next stage.<\/p>\n

Step 2 \u2014 Screen and Refine the Slurry<\/strong><\/p>\n

The slurry passes through screens to remove any oversized dirt particles or fiber bundles, then through a refiner to adjust fiber length and bonding potential for the mold shape being produced. Verification: pull a sample and check for visible specks against the dirt-count spec \u2014 anything above the <35 mm\u00b2\/500 g threshold at this stage signals a screening problem, not a molding problem, and should be corrected before forming.<\/p>\n

Step 3 \u2014 Form the Plate on a Mesh Mold<\/strong><\/p>\n

A shaped mesh mold is dipped into or pressed against the pulp slurry; vacuum suction draws water through the mesh, depositing a wet fiber layer in the plate’s shape and thickness. This step sets the plate’s basic geometry \u2014 rim depth, wall angle, base thickness. Verification: the formed wet part should hold its shape when lifted off the mold without tearing or slumping.<\/p>\n

Step 4 \u2014 Transfer and Pre-Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

The wet-formed piece is transferred from the forming mold to a transfer mold and pressed to remove additional water mechanically, reducing moisture content before the piece enters the heated press. This step reduces drying time and energy use downstream. Verification: pressed weight should drop measurably compared to the as-formed piece \u2014 a lack of weight reduction indicates the press isn’t seating correctly against the part.<\/p>\n

Step 5 \u2014 Hot-Press to Final Shape and Thickness<\/strong><\/p>\n

The pre-pressed piece goes into a heated matched-mold press, which simultaneously finishes the exact shape, compresses the fiber to final thickness, and drives off most of the remaining moisture through heat and pressure. Tensile and burst index of the starting pulp (>55 N\u00b7m\/g and >4.0 kPa\u00b7m\u00b2\/g respectively for Sheeon’s bleached grade) directly determine how well the piece holds together under this compression without cracking at the rim. Verification: the plate should hold a crisp, defined rim edge and show no visible cracking when removed from the press.<\/p>\n

Step 6 \u2014 Trim Excess Material<\/strong><\/p>\n

Flash or excess fiber around the plate’s edge \u2014 left over from the forming and pressing stages \u2014 is trimmed off, usually with a die-cutting or rotary trim step, to produce the plate’s final outline. Verification: edges should be uniform in width with no ragged or uncut sections remaining.<\/p>\n

Step 7 \u2014 Final Drying and Quality Check<\/strong><\/p>\n

Any remaining moisture is removed in a final drying stage, after which finished plates are inspected for warping, discoloration, dirt specks and rim integrity before packing. Verification: check finished plates against the target moisture spec and visually inspect a sample batch against the pulp’s dirt-count threshold \u2014 visible dark specks at this stage trace back to Step 2, not the drying process.<\/p>\n

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A Common Misreading: “Bleached” Doesn’t Mean “Bleach-Treated at the Plate Stage”<\/h2>\n

One misconception worth addressing directly: manufacturers new to bagasse tableware sometimes assume bleaching happens during plate production, as a finishing step similar to how some paper products are treated post-forming. It doesn’t. Bleaching happens upstream, during pulp production, before the sheet or bale ever reaches a tableware manufacturer. The brightness figure on a pulp spec sheet (>80% for gebleichter Bagasse-Zellstoff<\/a><\/strong><\/span>) is a property of the incoming raw material, not something the plate-molding process adds or adjusts. If a finished plate isn’t reaching expected whiteness, the fix is a different pulp grade or lot \u2014 not a change to the molding or pressing parameters.<\/p>\n

Where Pulp Quality Limits What Molding Can Fix<\/p>\n

What a well-specified input pulp gets you:<\/p>\n