Palprint, a start-up from Paderborn, is developing custom-fit industrial packaging using 3D printing and recycled PET, aiming to reduce oversized disposable packaging in logistics. The company has received €125,000 in funding from the German Federal Environmental Foundation, known as DBU, to support a circular packaging system designed for reuse, recycling and material efficiency.

The project targets a common problem in industrial logistics: many components are shipped in standardised packaging that is larger than necessary and not adapted to the product’s geometry. This creates excess material use, higher storage requirements, more transport volume and unnecessary waste after single use. For sectors such as mechanical and plant engineering, where parts can be large, complex or irregularly shaped, the inefficiency can be significant.

Palprint’s approach is to produce packaging directly around the needs of each component. Using 3D data, the system can generate packaging designs that fit the machine part or spare part more precisely. The packaging is then printed on site from recycled PET, a material widely used in bottles and other packaging applications.

Custom-fit packaging can reduce waste not only by changing the material, but by avoiding unnecessary volume and producing only what each shipment actually needs.

The company offers more than printed packaging as a service. It is developing a complete system that includes 3D printers from partner companies, software and material supply. This model allows customers to create packaging in their own facilities, reducing the need to order and store large volumes of standard packaging in advance.

For industrial users, this could change the economics of packaging. Instead of keeping warehouses filled with disposable formats that may not fit future shipments, companies could store recycled PET feedstock and print packaging when required. This may reduce storage space, lower transport inefficiencies and improve packaging flexibility for low-volume or customised components.

• Custom-fit design reduces oversized packaging and unnecessary void space.
• Recycled PET supports a more circular material flow.
• On-site printing can reduce packaging storage and improve flexibility.
• Closed-loop recycling aims to turn used packaging into new raw material.

Palprint is also working on PET foam 3D printing with Fraunhofer IPA and Fraunhofer ICT. This development is intended to make the process faster and lighter. According to the company, the foam can expand more quickly to the desired size and reduce weight by up to 90%, while still using recycled PET as the base material. The material can later be melted down and used again for new packaging.

This is important because speed and weight are two common challenges for 3D printed packaging. Traditional 3D printing can be seen as too slow for larger industrial volumes, but foam-based printing could make the process more practical for bulky protective packaging. A lighter structure may also reduce shipping weight while maintaining protective performance.

The circular model is central to the concept. Palprint plans to collect used packaging through selected partner companies once enough material has accumulated, recycle it and return it to the system as feedstock for new packaging. Because the packaging is made almost entirely from recycled PET, material separation is simplified, which can improve recycling efficiency.

The company is also considering reusable packaging and a deposit system. This would move the model beyond single-use recycling and toward a managed loop in which packaging can either be reused or recycled into new material. For industrial logistics, where shipments often move between known partners, this kind of controlled system may be easier to implement than in open consumer markets.

From a sustainability perspective, the project combines several important strategies: material reduction, recycled content, localised production, reuse potential and closed-loop recovery. Rather than relying on one solution, it addresses packaging waste at multiple points in the value chain.

For the packaging industry, Palprint’s work shows how digital manufacturing can support more sustainable logistics. 3D printing may not replace high-volume packaging formats, but it could become valuable for specialised components, spare parts, short runs and products with complex shapes. In those areas, custom-fit production can reduce waste while improving protection.

As companies look for ways to cut material use and improve circularity, systems that combine software, recycled feedstock and on-demand production could become more relevant. Palprint’s project points toward a future where industrial packaging is not simply ordered in standard sizes, but generated from product data and kept within a controlled material cycle.