A Textured Face and a Smooth One

The cradle curves into a tight U rather than a shallow dish, matching the horseshoe arc of an aligner tray closely enough that the tray's edge sits recessed below the rim instead of resting flush on top. One face carries a woven herringbone texture pressed into the pulp, while the reverse stays smooth, so the textured side can face inward against the tray for extra grip while the smooth side faces out toward a hand or pocket lining. Two small prongs extend from the narrow neck at the top.

Two Cradles, One Waist Between Them

A narrow waist connects two mirrored cradles rather than housing a single tray alone, one form facing up and the other rotated to face down, joined by a thin strap of pulp that lets the whole piece fold or twist along that connection point. A tab at the top carries a die-cut oval finger hole, sized for a thumb to hook through when lifting the piece out of a case or bag rather than pinching the cradle edge itself. A second flat tab extends from the base of the lower cradle.

One Piece, No Seam to Separate

Because both cradles share one continuous piece rather than snapping together from separate parts, there's no seam where the two halves could pull apart under normal handling. The waist section runs thinner than either cradle, flexing slightly rather than cracking if the two ends get pulled in opposite directions during removal from packaging. This dental aligner packaging shape suits a paired upper-lower tray set more than a single loose tray.