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Packaging Center of Excellence

Solving your functional chemistries and sustainable barrier coatings challenges with proven expertise and comprehensive testing.

Innovative solutions and comprehensive testing

Whether you need to improve specific packaging characteristics or meet 2025 sustainability goals, Solenis provides functional chemistries and sustainable, food-grade barrier coatings solutions.

Our Packaging Center of Excellence lets you participate in live, real-time lab trials — at one of our regional innovation centers or virtually. With proven, trusted expertise and industry-leading testing capabilities, we can run evaluations and testing in key areas like strength, digital print, barrier coatings and colorants for the packaging and food & beverage paper packaging markets.

Proven expertise

Whether you need to make packaging stronger or replace PFAS in barrier coatings, our experts leverage our industry-leading chemistries portfolio to solve even your most complex packaging challenges. Our team includes chemists and chemical engineers, as well as subject matter experts in areas like barrier coatings and strength. We explore your specific challenge to identify and validate the best possible solutions.

Collaborative solutions

From paper converters to brand managers, we collaborate closely with partners along the value chain to solve your packaging and sustainability challenges. These partnerships give us deep insights to accelerate innovation and optimize solutions. We can collaborate in whatever way is convenient for you: visit us on-site at one of our regional innovation centers or observe and work in real time with our experts remotely as we conduct experiments and tests to improve adhesion, strength and more.

Let’s collaborate

Packaging Center of Excellence virtual tour

Explore our testing facility, which includes a pilot paper machine, Dixon coater, Digicut A3+ and lab pilot coater — and is led by the industry’s leading experts in developing innovative paper packaging solutions.

Click, hold and move cursor to rotate the virtual lab. To view equipment details, videos and more, click on the model number.

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Brightmeter

Measures the brightness, opacity, whiteness, fluorescence and color (Lab/L*a*b*) of a material.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Cobb Test

Determines the amount of water that is absorbed into the surface of a fiber or porous material. Used to determine how much water holdout a material has from sizing technologies.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Digicut A3+

Applies a precise metered coating using an anilox roll to the surface of a sheeted material. The pilot coater is equipped with a corona device to apply an electrical potential, transferring a charge to the surface of synthetic sheets like plastics and stone paper for optimal coating pickup.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

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Precoater/coater for barrier packaging, graphics and specialty technologies.

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Coating Capabilities

We have multiple coating and sizing equipment, including an off-machine pond coater for sizing and specific coating evaluations; bench top rod coaters for precise application of coatings and formulations; and a spray applicator for multilayer container board or molded pulp applications.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Traditional off-machine size coater. It is designed for surface sizing applications but also capable of barrier applications. Equipped with a pond coater that can do either single or both sides.

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Bench top coater for evaluating hand sheets or base sheets for sizing and coating technologies.

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Bench top applicator for conditioning adhesives for multi-ply and other unique surface applications on paper or paperlike materials.

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Dynamic Contact Angle Test

Used to evaluate compatibility of liquids on a material’s surface. It is used to evaluate sizing against water/oils, determine compatibility of hot melt materials by measuring surface free energy of the substrate, and evaluate printing applications by measuring ink compatibility with a substrate’s surface.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany, 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Fluting Strength Test

Corrugates/flutes a paper medium for flat and edge crush strength testing.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany

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Bendtsen and Sheffield Test

Instruments to measure the surface roughness/smoothness of a material. The Bendtsen is used mostly in Europe and Sheffield is used often in North America.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium (Bendtsen Test only)
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany (Bendtsen Test only)

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Gurley Porosity Test

An instrument that pushes air through a material under constant pressure to determine porosity by measuring the flow rate.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium (Bendtsen Porosity only)

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Papermaking Capabilities

We have several papermaking capabilities. For small-scale production of new products or chemistries, we utilize Noble & Wood hand sheet molds for the making of uniform non-directional sheets of paper. For the intermediate scale, we have two Dynamic Sheet Formers that lay dispersed fiber into a porous rotating drum equipped with a machine wire. The next level is our Pilot Paper Machine, where we can make many grades, from tissue through packaging. This machine mimics a commercial paper manufacturing process from fiber prep with refining capabilities to stock approach.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Hybrid hand sheet former that is capable of making low basis weight sheets with fiber directionality.

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Non-fiber directionality sheet former used to evaluate several conditions, from tissue to medium, prior to scale-up on a pilot machine.

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For the manufacturing of paper at a laboratory scale to develop new chemistry and paper, evaluate products and troubleshoot customer solutions. This machine is capable of manufacturing an array of paper grades, from towel through medium and liner board.

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Hercules Size Test

An industry-trusted instrument to determine total sizing of a material by measuring penetration rate of a water-based ink.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Taber Stiffness Test

An instrument that applies an orthogonal force to flat material and determines deflection. The less the deflection, the greater the stiffness of the material.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Tensile Test

Measures the tensile strength of materials. This can be done wet, dry or both. Additional information from this test includes stretch, Tensile Energy Absorption (TEA) and modulus.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Caliper Test

Determines the caliper or thickness of a material.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Climate Control Chamber

A precise chamber that can control temperature and humidity within 0.5 units. Temperature ranges from -40 C to 200 C and relative humidity from 0% to 99%.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Heat Sealer

Simulates the seaming process in paper cup converting. This is used to determine if or how much a coating or sizing may interfere.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Imitates the seal when converting from base sheet to cup.

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FAAT (Fixed Angle Adhesion Tester)

An adhesion tester for determining blocking, the Fixed Angle Adhesion instrument simulates and measures forces as a role of coating paper is unwound.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

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Kiefel Nature Former

Our thermoformed molded fiber (TMF) pilot machine, a Kiefel NATUREFORMER, produces molded fiber parts using a three-stage forming process: suction, pre-press dewatering, and hot press formation. The stock system has a capacity of 100L and allows for a wide range of consistencies, freeness, and chemical treatments between batches. Our experts can adjust conditions in the machine at each forming stage to achieve desired molded fiber article properties. The hot press formation stage is capable of temperatures up to 250 °C and pressures up to 20,000 N.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

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Produces pilot scale molded fiber products.

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OpTest Fiber Analyzer (FQA)

An instrument that measures fiber dimensions, the FQA evaluates length, width, fibrillation, flocks, fines and other parameters.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

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Measures fiber dimensions for parameters such as length, width, fibrillation, flocks, fines and more.

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Ultrasonic Sealing Machine

The Ultrasonic Sealing Machine seals cups and other paper packaging seams in a converting processes using ultrasonic technology.

Located:

R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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OTR / MVTR

This instrument provides high-precision, high-efficiency oxygen and water vapor transmission rate tests for high and medium gas barrier materials.

Located:

R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Valmet Fiber Image Analyzer (Valmet FS5)

An advanced fiber analysis instrument, the Valmet FS5 allows our experts to measure a wide range of fiber properties and particles, including length, width, fibrillation, flocks, fines and other parameters.

Located:

Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany

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Hot Air Sealing Machine

Our Hot Air Sealing Machine simulates the hot air sealing that takes place during cup conversion.

Located:

R&D Center, Antwerp, Belgium

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Web Coater

This pilot coating machine is equipped with several coating options. With blade and rod configurations, a double coating can be applied in one pass.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

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A pilot coating machine with several coating options.

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Crush Tester

The Crush Tester evaluates a packaging or container article's resistance to crush, or stiffness.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany, 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Burst Tester

A type of strength test, this evaluation measures how resistant a packaging or container article is to puncture.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany, 
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Tear Tester

The Tear Tester allows our experts to measure the force required to pull apart material in a shearing motion.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA,
R&D Center, Shanghai, China

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Z’Directional Tensile (ZDT)

On multi-layer materials, the ZDT evaluates internal bond strength by measuring the force needed to pull apart materials orthogonal to their surface.

Located:

R&D Center, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Center of Excellence, Moenchengladbach, Germany

Testing capabilities

From an adhesion test to a tensile strength measurement, our Packaging Center of Excellence offers pilot-scale capabilities and more than 70 tests, including tests for TAPPI or ASTM standards.

Strength

Including puncture and tear (wet and dry), ring crush test, tensile (wet and dry) and bend

Adhesion

Including Plybond spray equipment, Plybond testing, blocking and sealing, and more

Transport Phenomena

Including Cobb – Water, Cobb – Oil, Cobb unger, Climate Control Oven (MTVR), wick testing and more

Coating Quality

Including bench-size press and coating efficiency and defect

Sustainability Testing

Including blooming, repulpability, recyclability

Colorant Testing

Including bleed fastness, light fastness, bleachability, reflective, UV spectroscopy and more

Color Matching

Including internal dyeing, surface dyeing, drawdowns, color values, thin-layer chromatography and more

Standard Dimensional Measurements

Including caliper and basis weight, microscopy

Surface Characteristics

Including brightness, contact angle, ink compatibility and coefficient of friction (static and dynamic)

Fiber Processing

Including formation, dynamic drainage analyzer (DDA) + Britt jar and contaminant control evaluations, size masking

Customized Testing

Evaluations designed and conducted to your unique specifications

See how we can help.

Discover proven solutions for your packaging and food & beverage paper packaging challenges.

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FAQs

We’re capable of evaluating packaging to meet ASTM and TAPPI standards and other industry-relevant standards. We can conduct tests for strength, adhesion, transport phenomena, coating quality, standard dimensional measurements, surface characteristics, fiber processing, color matching and efficiency, colorant testing and customized testing.

Contact your Solenis representative or fill out our form.

We work on a ‘first in first out’ principal. Once scheduled based on our availability, Pilot Equipment typically operates from 7:30 AM through 3:30 PM EST. Testing support continues until completed.

Testing is a collaborative process, and in many cases our team can adjust a plan during the test run to explore additional results.

If you’re not currently a Solenis customer, please fill out our contact form.

While some test results can be delivered during the in-person visit or remote session, other tests take time to complete. In most cases, we provide a full results report in 3 to 4 weeks.