Bioblend LT25B R

• Injection molding grade
• Biopolymer compound, mineral filled
• Can be blended with bamboo powder (B), rice husk (R), coffee husk (C), wheat straw (W) and wood powder (H)
• High rigidity
• Can be crystallized/annealed to be heatstable up to 110°C
• Biodegradable in controlled conditions (e.g. industrial compost) according to DIN EN 13432 / ASTM D6400
• Easier to process than virgin PLA/cPLA
• Food contact safe
• Dishwasher-ok / microwave-ok
• Global availability.

Bioblend LT25B (B/R/C/W/H) is a modified PLA-blend. The grade is enhanced with a blend of natural mineral fillers. Bioblend LT grades are easy to process and prepared for a fast and efficient postprocessing crystallization/annealing process. The material can additionally be blended with bamboo powder, rice husk or coffee husk, wheat straw and wood powder to support a natural look.

Bioblend LT25B (B/R/C/W/H) is compostable/biodegradable (microbial and enzymatic degradation) in the targeted disposal environment; it is biodegradable in controlled (e.g. industrial compost facilities) conditions according to EN 13432 (for Europe) and ASTM D6400 (for the USA). Bioblend LT grades offer a significant reduction in carbon footprint compared to fossil-based plastics. The grades exhibit excellent strength and stiffness properties as well as a good flow combined with improved elongation values. An increased rate of crystallization allows an annealing to a heat-stable temperature of 110 °C (HDT-B) and above.

Part wall-thickness shall be greater than 1.5 mm.

Typical applications where Bioblend LT25B (B/R/C/W/H) is used for are:

• Consumer goods (e.g. pens)
• Kitchen ware (e.g. season use cutlery, cups, boxes, trays)
• Toys
• Personal care (e.g. tooth brush handle, soap box)
• Rigid packaging (e.g. make-up boxes)
• Beauty (e.g. cosmetic brushes)
• Sports & outdoor

Bioblend LT25B (B/R/C/W/H) can be processed on conventional injection molding equipment. The material is sensitive to moisture and high temperatures (above 190°C); high shear rates shall be avoided. The matrial needs to be dried before processing. Do not keep the material in the heated barrel longer than 5 – 8 minutes; the material is prone to degrade.

Dry the material for a minimum of 4 - 6 hours at 80o C. A moisture content of less than 0.07% (700 ppm) is required / less than 0.10% (1000 ppm) is recommended. Avoid exposing the material to atmospheric conditions after drying; process immediately.

1. Vacuum-out/clean hopper and air-suction system to avoid contamination.
2. Clean/purge the barrel. 3. Once the barrel has been cleaned, reduce barrel temperatures to the right set points (see next section).
3. Introduce the compounds into the barrel only after all barrel temperatures are at target set points. The material cannot enter into the barrel when temperatures are above 190°C in any section!
4. Make sure that the mold is heated up to a temperature of around 55°C. Bioblend LT grades cannot be processed on cold molds.
5. Start with a moderate holding pressure and keep it applied for long initially. Bioblend LT grades have a slow solidification. Sink marks throughout the part are a result of a too low holding pressures that are applied for a too short time. Carefully increase holding pressure and prolong holding time until sink marks disappear.
6. Start with long cooling times before opening the mold: tcooling (in sec) > biggest wall-thickness (in mm) x 10
7. After start-up, the injection molding process shall be optimized step-by-step to industry relevant process paramaters.