TAGS: Surface Modification Polymer Reinforcement
CAI Performance Additives has published a white paper recently showing data collected by a third-party lab on the burndown performance of their ST-PA210 bioplastic lubricating agent which simulates the impact of processing on the additive material.
Unaffected Food-contact Compliance of Down-stream Products
The findings of these data suggest that the additive is “sacrificial” in that after processing only trace amounts of it remain. This means that compounders using ST-PA210 to enhance melt flow would not see any residual effects in their output, nor would using such an additive affect food-contact compliance of down-stream products.
The data also shows performance of the additive in PLA (both talc-filled and unfilled) showing 170%-600% MFI increases at just 2% additive. With PLA’s dominance of the bioplastic market currently there is likely to be significant interest in lowering viscosity in processing stages, particularly additives that will not cause negative effects down the line in finished products.
These data suggest ST-PA210 would be ideal for these applications combining its lubrication performance with the benefit of being sacrificial.
CEO Richard Marshall says, “
A common concern of our PLA compounding customers is how additives of any kind could impact food-contact safety in final products. Bioplastics are attracting a lot of attention right now in single use food and beverage containers, so seeing that ST-PA210 can safely be used to improve processing without affecting critical food safety compliance is great news to our clients.”
ST-PA210 is a proprietary high-performance additive only recently available in the US market. It is also used in applications of polycarbonate copolymers including PC/ABS and PC/PET, as well as bioplastics such as PLA and PBAT.
Features include:
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Low loading for great processing outcomes for PET, PC, PC/ABS, PLA, PHA and PBAT
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1%, or less, ST-PA210 can dramatically increase the melt flow of bio-plastics
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No loss in mechanical or optical properties
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Dispersion of other additives is greatly enhanced
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ST-PA210 enhances the performance of other additives including pigments, glass fiber or talc
Source: CAI Performance Additives