MATERIALS | BIOPLASTICS


last few years we have seen developments that improve properties like heat resistance and rigidity in injection moulded Ingeo PLA parts,” says Dan Sawyer, Business Development Leader, Nature- Works. “Recently, we have seen a rise in the rapid prototyping of durable products and components via 3D printing, which lowers costs and helps bring products to market faster. For these 3D printed prototypes, we have also seen an emphasis on using Ingeo PLA for filament instead of materials from styrenics such as ABS because it is easy to print with, has very low emissions, and high part accuracy. The problem until recently has been that 3D printed PLA parts did not have the toughness or heat resistance of ABS. However, NatureWorks has developed grades specifically for 3D printing that rival these properties in ABS.” Targeting both durable products and proto-


types, NatureWorks has developed a series of new resin grades designed specifically for 3D printing. Building on reliable, easy printability, the company says Ingeo 3D850 and Ingeo 3D870 offer good UV colour lightfastness, low yellow index, and can be crystallised to realise additional heat and impact properties. Ingeo 3D870 was designed for the impact strength that is required in industrial applications. Tests showed parts produced with Ingeo 3D870-based filament exceed ABS 3D parts in impact strength and, with post-print annealing, rival ABS heat resistance (see Figure 1). NatureWorks adds that the Ingeo 3D grades’


relatively low melt point enables safe lower temperature printing. Very low emissions mean no unpleasant odours when printing. The material’s low polymer thermal shrinkage allows high resolution printing for part accuracy and avoids warping of parts so no heated build platform or


chamber is needed. “What we learned from our market engagement is that a large segment of the market prefers to print with PLA and had been wait- ing for performance improvements such as those offered by the Ingeo 3D grades,” Sawyer adds. Sukano and Total Corbion PLA have collabo-


rated on a range of functional and optical PLA masterbatches to improve the performance of PLA. The masterbatches from Sukano are based on Total Corbion PLA’s Luminy neat resins. Total Corbion is already selling and marketing a range of Luminy neat PLA resins, including high heat resistant and standard PLA resins. The masterbatches allow converters to fine tune the performance of PLA in the final end use application. The range of Sukano PLA masterbatches include specific functional masterbatches aimed at improving properties such as impact, mould release, anti-static or anti-block for nested products. Colour masterbatches based on Luminy PLA are also available. Sukano adds that it has developed a clear impact modifier masterbatch for use with PLA with several important characteristics. These include low haze values to ensure transparency levels below 5% (and often less than 2-3%), as well as substantial increases in impact strength and good base resin clarity.


German company FKuR has developed Bio-


grade injection moulding compounds C 5509 CL and C 5508, an advanced raw material and additive combination to increase the share of bio-based content from the previous level of 50% to more than 65%. The company says that these grades can be easily processed with short cycle times on standard injection moulding machines, which have a universal screw and are also suitable for multi- cavity moulds. The Biograde series of compounds


1. Annealed for 10-20 min @ 110-120˚C.


2. Values from literature.


3. All test bars were 3D printed at 100% infill. For more on orientations of printed parts, see the Ingeo 3D870 technical data sheet on www.natureworksllc.com.


4. Ingeo 3D870 was tested by Essentium Materials.


Figure 1. Parts produced with Ingeo 3D870-based filament exceed ABS 3D parts in impact strength and, with post-print annealing, rival ABS heat resistance


Source: NatureWorks 18 INJECTION WORLD | March 2018 www.injectionworld.com


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