Molded fiber technology, built in-house from the machine up
THECA designs and builds its own molded fiber production machines. We engineer your packaging, design the molds and tooling it needs, machine them in our own mold shop and run them on lines we built. Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 molded fiber are all produced in one 6,000 m² plant in Denizli, Türkiye.
No outside machine builder. No outside tool shop. No handover between them.
- 4 weeks
- from complete brief to first sample
- 3 routes
- IMFA Type 1, 2 and 3 in one plant
- 3 doctorates
- in our leadership team
Three layers decide how a molded fiber part turns out. We own all three.
Every molded fiber part is the product of three things working together: the production machine, the tooling mounted on it and the geometry designed for both. Change one and the other two feel it. Most producers buy machines from one company and tools from another, then design packaging around what they bought. We design and build all three layers ourselves, on one shared centerline.
The drawing below is an exploded section view: a molded fiber part at the top, its transfer and forming tools in the middle and the production machine at the bottom, aligned on one centerline.
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Product geometry
Designed by THECA at Labs #1
Wall thickness, draft angles, ribs, cavities, clearances and nesting, developed around your product, your pack-out and the route that will make it.
Our designers know exactly how our tools drain and release and how our dryers and presses behave, so manufacturability is designed in rather than discovered at sampling.
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Molds and tooling
Designed and machined in our own mold shop
Forming tools, transfer tools and heated press tools, including the mesh, the drainage layout and the shrinkage allowance that compensates for drying.
Our toolmakers build for machines they know from the inside. If a sample needs a correction, the tool is reworked in our shop, not re-quoted by a supplier.
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Production machinery
Designed and built by THECA
Vacuum forming, platen movement and transfer, drying and hot pressing: the equipment that turns fiber slurry into a finished part.
We are not limited to what a catalogue machine can do. When a product needs something new, we can engineer it into the machine instead of compromising the product.
The result: packaging designed for the tool that forms it, on the machine that makes it, by one team that answers for all three.
What one owner changes for your project
Molded fiber projects rarely stall on the material. They stall at handovers, wherever one supplier has to wait for another. This is where integration shows up for procurement, packaging engineering and quality teams developing custom molded fiber packaging.
| Project moment | Split supply chain | At THECA |
|---|---|---|
| The design changes after the first sample | The tool shop re-quotes and reschedules. Production waits. | Designers and toolmakers work in the same organisation. The tool is modified in our own shop and the next sample follows. |
| A dimension is out at sampling | Designer, tool shop and producer each point to the other two. | One team owns geometry, tooling and machine, so the root cause is traced without handovers. |
| Choosing how the part is made | The supplier recommends the one process it runs. | We run Type 1, 2 and 3, so strength, surface and tolerance requirements decide the route. |
| Moving from approved sample to series | Sample tool, series tool and machine can come from three different sources. | Sample tooling, series tooling and production machines come from one engineering team, so the approved design carries into production. |
| A tool is worn or damaged | Production waits for an external repair. | Tools are repaired and reworked in-house, protecting continuity of supply. |
| The product needs something new from the process | You are limited to what the purchased machine can do. | We can adapt our own machines, because we designed them. |
Production machines we design and build ourselves
Most molded fiber producers run lines bought from a machine builder. We build our own. The TIA-3 forming line in our Denizli plant was designed and built in-house, and the same engineering team keeps developing our equipment for new products and production routes.
Owning the machine design gives us direct control over the variables that decide part quality: how evenly vacuum builds the fiber wall on the forming tool, how cleanly the wet part is transferred, and how drying or hot pressing brings it to its final shape and dimensions.
What that means for you
- Process settings developed by the people who designed the equipment.
- Fault-finding, maintenance and upgrades handled in-house, without waiting for an outside service engineer.
- Equipment that can be adapted to a new geometry or route, instead of a product redesigned to suit a machine.
Molds and tooling from our own mold shop
In molded fiber, the tool is where a design becomes a physical part. We design every tool a product needs and manufacture it in-house, for sampling and for series production.
- Forming tool
- A porous, mesh-covered mold dipped into fiber slurry. Vacuum draws water through the mesh and builds the wet part on its surface. Used on every route.
- Transfer tool
- Mates with the wet part, lifts it from the forming tool and shapes its second side. Used for Type 2 and Type 3.
- Heated press tools
- Press and dry the part inside the mold for dense, smooth and dimensionally stable Type 3 walls.
Tool design is where process knowledge pays off. Fiber shrinks as it dries, so a forming tool has to be oversized by the right allowance for the fiber and dryer it will meet. Our toolmakers design against dryers and presses our own engineers built, so that allowance comes from first-hand process experience, not assumptions.
2 weeks of mold manufacturing inside our four-week route to first samples.
Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 molded fiber, all in one plant
The International Molded Fiber Association (IMFA) classifies molded fiber by how it is made. Each route uses different tooling and drying, and gives a different wall, surface and precision. Because we run all three, we choose the route from your requirements, not from the only process we have.
Type 1
Thick-wall molded fiber
- Wall thickness
- 5–10 mm
- Tooling
- Forming tool
- Drying
- Oven
- Surface
- Smooth on the tool side, rough on the other
- Chosen for
- Heavy, bulky and industrial products where strength matters more than finish
Typical for appliance end caps, furniture protection and automotive component trays.
Type 2
Transfer-molded fiber
- Wall thickness
- 3–5 mm
- Tooling
- Forming tool and transfer tool
- Drying
- Oven
- Surface
- Relatively smooth on one or both sides
- Chosen for
- Better definition, dimensional control and nesting for demanding, higher-volume applications
Typical for dividers, trays and inserts in food and beverage and electronics.
Type 3
Thermoformed fiber, cured in the mold
- Wall thickness
- 1–2 mm
- Tooling
- Forming, transfer and heated press tools
- Drying
- In the heated mold
- Surface
- Finished on both sides
- Chosen for
- Defined geometry, tight tolerances and retail-facing presentation
Typical for cosmetics, pharma and medical trays and premium consumer goods.
Wall sections are drawn to relative scale. Hatched strips show the tools each route uses; dots mark heated tools. Final thickness, tolerances and finish are specified per project.
Not sure which route fits your product? Send it to us. We will recommend one and explain why.
Ask for a route recommendationFrom complete brief to first sample in four weeks
Four weeks is realistic because nothing leaves our organisation between design and sample. Design, mold manufacturing and sampling run back to back inside THECA.
- Week 1 Product and packaging design Geometry, protection points, packing sequence and route, developed at THECA Labs #1.
- Weeks 2–3 Mold manufacturing The sampling tool is machined in our own mold shop, with forming, release and dimensional requirements built in.
- Week 4 First samples Produced on our own machines for fit, handling and pack-out review.
Then: validation with your product and pack-out, series tooling and serial production. Series lead time is typically 2–4 weeks after final product approval, tooling approval and a confirmed purchase order. Minimum order quantities start from 10,000 units, depending on product size and project requirements.
The four-week route applies to technically suitable projects and starts once complete technical data, product samples or approved 3D files and written design-scope confirmation are received.
The engineers behind the technology
THECA was founded in 2021 by two mechanical engineers who each spent fourteen years in molded fiber design, manufacturing and R&D before building their own company. Three members of our leadership team hold doctorates. Product, mold and machine designs are developed at THECA Labs #1, our design centre at Pamukkale University Technopark in Denizli.
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Dr. Engin Sarıkaya
General Manager and co-founder
PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Led molded fiber design and manufacturing before heading R&D, technology and investments and managing an R&D centre.
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Dr. Artunç Alptekin
Production Director and co-founder
PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Former Design and Manufacturing Director and Factory Manager in molded fiber. Your contact for technical questions: artunc.alptekin@wetheca.com
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Dr. Eda Özay
Human Resources and Sustainability Executive
Leads sustainability and people at THECA and answers customers' sustainability questions: eda.ozay@wetheca.com
Questions about our molded fiber technology
Does THECA really build its own molded fiber machines?
Yes. THECA designs and manufactures its own molded fiber production machinery. The TIA-3 forming line in our Denizli plant was designed and built in-house, and our engineers continue to develop and maintain our equipment.
Who makes the molds for my packaging?
We do. THECA designs your product, designs the forming, transfer and press tooling it needs and manufactures those molds in its own mold shop. Tool corrections after sampling are made in-house.
What is the difference between Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 molded fiber?
They are the three core production routes defined by the IMFA. Type 1 (thick-wall) uses a single forming tool and oven drying for 5–10 mm walls. Type 2 (transfer-molded) adds a transfer tool for 3–5 mm walls with a smoother surface and better dimensional control. Type 3 (thermoformed) dries the part in heated press tools for 1–2 mm walls finished on both sides. A fourth category, Type 4, covers secondary processing such as printing, coating or die-cutting.
How do you decide which route to use?
From your requirements: product weight and load case, the surface your customer sees or your product touches, required tolerances, nesting and packing-line behaviour, annual volume and tooling budget. Because we run all three routes, we recommend the one that fits rather than the one we happen to own.
Is molded fiber the same as molded pulp or moulded fibre?
Yes. Molded fiber, molded pulp, moulded fibre and moulded pulp describe the same material family: cellulose fiber formed from a water-based slurry on porous tools and then dried. The terms differ by region and industry habit, not by process.
How quickly can you produce a first sample?
For technically suitable projects, four weeks from a complete brief: one week of design, two weeks of mold manufacturing and one week of sampling. The four weeks start once complete technical data and written design-scope confirmation are in place.
What is your minimum order quantity?
Minimum order quantities start from 10,000 units, depending on product size and project requirements. Series lead time is typically 2–4 weeks after final product approval, tooling approval and a confirmed purchase order.
What should I send to start a project?
Product drawings, 3D data or physical samples, product weight, sensitive areas, your current packaging, pack quantity, carton and pallet constraints, distribution conditions and expected annual volume.
Send us the product. We'll engineer the part, the tool and the process.
Share your product data, expected annual quantity and how the product ships today. An engineer reviews the application and comes back with the right route, a tooling concept and the next step.
Technical enquiries, main line: +90 258 244 00 43