Hot runner for filled Poly(lactic Acid) (PLA)

[pjhall]

Have any of you molded filled PLA with a hot runner. I've read that DME has the EcoSmart hot runner system. The material will be filled with either talc or wood fiber. The hot runner system will need to be made of SS due to the corrosiveness of the material. The project I'm working is a 32 cavity "Compostable" fork, knife, and spoon molds. I've contacted DME, INCOE, MoldMaster, and Husky.

[betty]

The runner and gate: you can use any type of gate. If you use the tunnel shaped gate, it is best to use the type of short. For the homopolymer material recommended hot runner nozzle. Can also be used for external hot runner hot runner copolymer materials can be used inside.

[Suhas]

Hi PJ,
I have not worked on these in production. I did my thesis in biodegradable materials and one of the limitations then was the thermal degradability. The one advice I have for you is to first check with the material manufacturer about the max residence time for the material. Then see how many shots you have in the hot runner manifold. Make sure to add this for the residence time calculation.
Hope this helps some.
Regards,
Suhas