Increasing Strength

The Bioplastics Division of Teknor Apex Co. has announced that a clear impact modifier masterbatch for use with polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics substantially increases the material’s impact strength, while maintaining the clarity of the base resin.

According to Tenkor Apex, Terraloy 90000 Series masterbatches are formulated with Biostrength, an impact modifier from Arkema Inc., and carrier polymers consisting of NatureWorks LLC’s Ingeo bioplastic. The company also notes that the Terraloy 90000 Series complies with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s requirements for food-contact applications at loading up to 20 percent.

“Terraloy 90000 Series masterbatch increases the toughness and reduces the brittleness of PLA, expanding the value of this key bioplastic in a wide range of packaging applications where clarity is essential," says Edwin Tam, Teknor Apex’s manager of new strategic initiatives. "As a custom compounder, Teknor Apex is prepared to tailor masterbatch formulations to customer needs by, for example, varying the grade of NatureWorks' Ingeo resin used as the carrier."

In fact, one series of testing found that Terraloy 90000 Series masterbatch increased impact strength by a respective 9 and 16 times when used at 5 and 10 percent loadings. At the same percentages, haze levels increase from 4.1 percent to 4.5 percent and 6.5 percent. 

—Erin Voegele