PlantSwitch CompostZero Bio-Resin
MOLD-MASTERS PROVEN BIO-RESIN & PCR PROCESSING SOLUTIONS. YOUR BEST PARTNER FOR SUSTAINABLE APPLICATIONS.
PlantSwitch is on a mission to replace all petroleum-based single-use plastics with plants. Their proprietary technology upcycles agricultural residues into a compostable, plant-based resin known as CompostZero. According to PlantSwitch, CompostZero bio-resin can be used to make nearly all types of plastic products - at a lower cost than other bio-resins. Some examples include utensils, drinking straws, golf tees, coffee pods, plant clips and more.
As PlantSwitch CompostZero bio-resin materials have gained popularity, it became necessary to prove its feasibility and understand its process properties in typical plastic injection equipment, including hot runner systems. The way resins are formulated determines their processability into a product fit for use.
This is because Bio-resins constitute a very broad range of materials which are made from various renewable resources such as starch, sugarcane, cellulose, and other organic matters. While all differ in their own way, in almost every case, they are more difficult to process in comparison to traditional thermoplastics, and it is often difficult to achieve desired part properties due to material degradation that can occur during the injection molding process. PlantSwitch reached out to Mold-Masters because of our reputation for producing high-quality hot runner systems and our extensive experience processing a wide range of bio-resins. As a result, we prepared to sample their compostable cutlery grade resin in our R&D test lab using traditional injection molding equipment which included a Mold-Masters Master-Series valve gated hot runner system.
We were successfully able to produce high-quality parts using our existing standard test molds with minimal process changes over traditional plastics. Most bio-resins typically burn easily and degrade if heated for extended periods of time, ultimately effecting the properties of the molded part. Mold-Masters was able to process PlantSwitch CompostZero without any noticeable degradation even while exploring the extreme ends of the designated process range. The mold started up with ease, the process was repeatable, and we were able to interrupt the cycle for periods of up to 10-minutes without any trouble starting back into automatic cycle. Observations of the molded parts were that gate quality was good and parts were flexible. Our only notable processing challenge related to this resin was the higher pressure required to move the plastic and fill the cavity, but knowing these defined limitations provides us the opportunity to optimize hot runner systems intended for full-scale production.
As it stands, the advantages molders can expect from being able to use a standard Master-Series hot runner system to process this material is that it helps to minimize the cost of equipment and maintenance (no customized special components). For processing other bio-resin materials that are prone to degradation, are corrosive, or have thermal/shear sensitivities, we offer our premium Summit-Series hot runner system.