Who to Visit at PACK EXPO 2026 for Dry Forming
PACK EXPO International runs from October 18 to 21 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Four days, four buildings, more than a few thousand exhibitors. If part of your reason for going is to understand fiber-based packaging, and specifically the dry forming technology for dry molded fiber packaging, this is how to spend that time well.
A quick orientation first. Dry forming is a way of making molded fiber packaging without the water slurry that conventional wet molding depends on. Fibers are separated in air, laid into a pad, and pressed into shape with heat and pressure. No dewatering, no drying ovens, and a cycle measured in seconds rather than the better part of a minute.
If that is new to you, our molded fiber overview and our side-by-side comparison with wet molding are a ten-minute read and will make the show floor conversations sharper.
WHERE TO SEE DRY FORMING
Yangi, Booth S-3422, South Building. This is where we will be, all four days. We are introducing our quick-serve packaging range to the U.S. market at the show: plates, bowls, hot- and cold-beverage lids and takeaway trays, designed for converters and brands serving quick-serve foodservice. The products on the table are dry-formed on Cellera, our serial machine platform, which is running at a European converter's production site today. You can handle the products, see the process on screen, and talk through what a line would look like in your plant.
Who you will meet. Our founder, Anna Altner, is at the booth, along with the commercial and market development team. If you want time with Anna specifically, book it in advance through our exhibitor page. The show is busy, and the meeting slots are going fast.
Nearby. Coesia Group, parent company of GDM, the industrial partner that built Cellera with us, exhibits at Booth S-2501 in the same building. The machine-building depth behind a dry forming line matters as much as the forming technology itself, so it is a worthwhile stop.
The education program. PACK EXPO's free sessions include Sustainability Central and the Innovation Stage. Fiber and plastic-replacement topics usually show up in both. Check the show app once the schedule is final and build your route around the sessions you want.
Show hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Sunday through Tuesday and 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Wednesday. Mornings are quieter and better for a real conversation.
WHAT TO ASK ANY DRY FORMING SUPPLIER
You will hear a lot of claims on the floor. These questions sort them out quickly. Our answers follow each one, so you can hold us to them too.
Where is your platform running in commercial production today, and can I talk to that customer? Cellera is running at a European converter's production site, running under industrial conditions with continuous operation, high uptime, and repeatable quality. Ask us about a reference conversation.
What is the cycle time, and at what grammage and product? Cellera runs at 4 seconds per cycle, product-dependent, against 30 to 60 seconds for typical wet molding.
What are the energy and water figures, and who verified them? 1.8 kWh per kilogram against a typical 4 to 7 for wet molding, from a third-party verified life cycle assessment. Process water is 90 to 99 percent lower because there is no water in the forming step.
Who owns the machine, and what am I licensing? With Yangi, you own the machine outright. There is no license. You are free to run it, upgrade it, and develop products on it.
How deep can you form? Dry forming is strongest in shallow to medium formats. Bowls and lids are in production. For deep, multi-compartment products, wet molding has historically had the edge. We will tell you where your geometry sits.
What about barriers and food contact? We develop grease and moisture barriers in our own lab and validate food-contact compliance with accredited third-party institutes. The material is PFAS-free.
How was recyclability tested? Our products are compatible with existing paper and fiber recycling streams and are proven curbside recyclable. Ask to see the test method, not just the claim.
What does the floor plan look like? A Cellera line fits roughly 18 by 10 meters with 5.5 meters of height, with no water handling or drying equipment around it. One operator can run two machines.
WHAT TO BRING
The fastest way to a useful conversation is your product. Bring a sample, a drawing, or even a photo of the packaging you want to make or replace, plus a rough idea of annual volume and what your plant already has in the way of floor space and power. With that, we can tell you in a few minutes whether dry forming is the right fit, and if it is, what the path from here to a running line looks like. We also hand out samples, so you leave with something to show your team.
IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT
Our U.S. conversations do not stop when the show closes. Request samples or a call, and we will set it up.
See you at S-3422 in Chicago!
