| HS Code | 251046 |
| Material Type | Soil-degradable injection molding PLA blend |
| Processing Method | Injection molding |
| Biodegradation Environment | Soil |
| Density | 1.25 g/cm³ |
| Melt Flow Rate 190c 2 16kg | 20 g/10 min |
| Tensile Modulus | 2500 MPa |
| Tensile Strength | 45 MPa |
| Elongation At Break | 6 % |
| Charpy Notched Impact Strength 23c | 3 kJ/m² |
| Vicat Softening Temperature A50 | 55 °C |
| Heat Deflection Temperature 0 45mpa | 50 °C |
| Processing Temperature | 170-190 °C |
| Mold Temperature | 20-40 °C |
| Drying Temperature | 60-80 °C |
| Drying Time | 2-4 h |
| Biobased Carbon Content | >50 % |
| Soil Degradability | Yes |
| Certification | OK biodegradable SOIL |
As an accredited Bio-Flex N 25370 Soil-Degradable Injection Molding PLA Blend factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Bio-Flex N 25370 is supplied in 25 kg moisture-resistant paper bags, palletized and shrink-wrapped for secure transport and storage. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL loading: Bio-Flex N 25370 soil-degradable injection molding PLA blend, 25 kg bags, palletized, shrink-wrapped, securely loaded for export. |
| Shipping | Bio-Flex N 25370 Soil-Degradable Injection Molding PLA Blend is shipped as a non-hazardous solid in moisture-barrier bags, FIBCs, or octabins on pallets. Keep dry, cool, below 30°C, and away from direct sunlight. Not regulated for transport; follow local regulations, reseal opened containers, and handle pallets carefully. |
| Storage | Store Bio-Flex N 25370 in original, tightly sealed packaging in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Protect from moisture, direct sunlight, heat, and physical damage. Recommended conditions: 15–25 °C and low humidity. Keep away from strong odors, chemicals, and ignition sources. Reseal opened containers promptly. Keep containers closed when not in use. Use first-in, first-out stock rotation, and avoid prolonged storage. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is generally 12 months when stored in unopened original packaging, dry, below 25°C, away from moisture and sunlight. |
On 8- to 16-cavity cold runner tools producing snap-fit vineyard and tomato clips, Bio-Flex N 25370 is pre-dried in a desiccant dryer with -40 °C dew point at 80 °C for 4 h, reaching residual moisture below 0.025 %. Barrel profile is maintained at 170 °C rear, 190 °C centre, and 200 °C nozzle, with a screw compression ratio of 2.5:1 and back pressure of 3–5 MPa. Mold temperature is held at 25–35 °C to limit post-mold crystallization and retain spring-back function in hinge straps 0.9–1.2 mm thick. For non-food horticultural applications, 20 % re-dried regrind can be incorporated if the MVR shift per ISO 1133-1:2022 at 190 °C/2.16 kg remains below 15 % of virgin pellets. Degradation in soil is evaluated under ISO 17556:2019; because PLA phases in soil exhibit a pronounced lag phase below 20 °C, decomposition rates measured in compost certification should not be transferred to cold or waterlogged field soils. Published decomposition data for this specific grade in field soil is limited, so batch testing under local soil microbial conditions is required. Terminal parts include grapevine shoot clips, tomato stem fasteners, and greenhouse leachate tags that must survive one growing season before measurable embrittlement.
The limiting factor is melt viscosity at 0.7 mm wall thickness under high shear. A hot runner manifold is preferred, but when a cold runner is unavoidable, sprue and runner diameters must not fall below 3.0 mm to keep pressure drop below 80 MPa at 200 °C. Nozzle temperature is set at 205 °C, the front barrel at 200 °C, and the rear at 180 °C. Injection speed is 120–160 mm/s screw advance, with hold pressure 60–80 MPa for 0.5–1.0 s. The mold is cooled to 35 °C and evacuated through vent channels 0.02–0.04 mm deep to prevent burn marks at the flow front. For the food-contact pod body, only virgin material is used; for the separate filter support ring not in direct beverage contact, up to 15 % re-dried regrind can be added if the MVR at 190 °C/2.16 kg remains within 10 % of virgin. Compliance with EC 1935/2004 and specific migration testing under EU 10/2011 Annex III and Annex V using simulant A, simulant B, simulant C, or simulant D as applicable must be completed on the finished pod, not on pellet. Peel adhesion of a sealed lidding ring is checked after 72 h at 40 °C according to ASTM F88/F88M-21. Terminal products include low-pressure filter machine pod bodies and filter support rings in four-cavity tooling.
| Parameter | Thin-wall pod skirt 0.6–0.8 mm | Snap-fit clip 0.9–1.2 mm | Cutlery handle 3.0–4.5 mm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drying temperature | 80 °C | 80 °C | 80 °C |
| Drying time | 4 h | 4 h | 4 h |
| Nozzle temperature | 200–205 °C | 200 °C | 195–205 °C |
| Mold temperature | 35 °C | 25–35 °C | 40–50 °C |
| Hold pressure | 60–80 MPa | 40–60 MPa | 70–90 MPa |
| Maximum regrind | 15 % | 20 % | 10 % |
Forks and spoons molded with thickness 3.0–4.5 mm develop weld lines where melt fronts converge at the tine roots. In Bio-Flex N 25370, the mold temperature is raised to 40–50 °C to reduce weld-line visibility and improve part strength; cooling time extends to 18–25 s. Tensile strength at weld lines should be measured per ISO 527-1:2019 and must exceed 60 % of unwelded strength for utensils that will be mechanically separated and transported. Hold pressure is 70–90 MPa applied for 3–5 s; insufficient hold pressure causes sink marks at the handle-rim junction, while excessive hold pressure increases internal stress and warpage after ejection. Compliance for industrial composting is verified under EN 13432 clause 5.2.1 for biodegradation, 5.2.2 for disintegration, and 5.2.3 for ecotoxicity. Because soil degradability is not equivalent to industrial compostability, cutlery should not carry a home-compost label without separate certification. Published data for this specific configuration is limited, so plant-scale validation on production tooling is required. Terminal products include industrially compostable forks, knives, spoons, and serving sporks.
For injection molded dosing scoops and measuring spoons for granular fertilizers or powder detergents, Bio-Flex N 25370 requires only a barrel profile of 180–200 °C, a mold temperature below 40 °C, and a short hold time of 2–4 s; chemical compatibility with acidic salts and alkaline oxidizing powders must be screened under ISO 175:2010 and ISO 22088-3:2005 before production release.
Where botanic gardens and tree nurseries embed or print accession codes on soil-contact stakes molded from Bio-Flex N 25370, the requirement is not solely mechanical but also surface legibility. The stake cross-section is designed at 3.0–5.0 mm, and the mold is cooled to 25–35 °C to minimize shrink after ejection. Laser marking and pad printing require a contrast masterbatch; before adding any masterbatch above 2 wt%, the change in melt flow rate per ISO 1133-1:2022 and tensile modulus per ISO 527-1:2019 must be quantified, because iron oxide or titanium dioxide carriers can alter hydrolytic stability. The part should withstand 12 months of solar UV, fluctuating soil moisture, and root pressure without fragmentation. Weathering is assessed under ISO 4892-2:2013 cycle 1 or equivalent, and soil degradation under ISO 17556:2019 at 25 °C. Published data for this specific configuration is limited; field validation in the intended soil type is required. Terminal parts include tree accession tags, nursery row markers, and raised-bed labels.
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Bio-Flex N 25370 is a soil-degradable injection molding PLA blend supplied within the Bio-Flex portfolio of FKuR Kunststoff GmbH. The material is not a neat polylactic acid homopolymer but a formulated compound intended to reduce the brittle failure associated with unfilled PLA while retaining a measurable aerobic soil-biodegradation pathway. The grade designation N 25370 identifies an injection molding modification within the broader Bio-Flex range, distinguishing it from film extrusion and thermoforming grades that are not optimized for high-shear mold filling. Specification values must be confirmed against the current lot certificate and technical datasheet. For preliminary tool design, the compound falls within the class-level density range of 1.24–1.27 g/cm³ measured under ISO 1183-1 and is characterized as an injection-molding melt with melt flow rate determined at 190 °C and 2.16 kg according to ISO 1133-1:2022.
Candidate use sectors for the material are rigid, short-life injection molded articles that may enter soil environments after use. These include plant clips, tree guards, root trainers, rigid packaging components, and consumer goods housings where the soil-degradable attribute is required. Such applications require part-specific verification of mechanical load, service temperature, UV exposure, and soil contact. The material is not automatically food-contact compliant; compliance to EU 10/2011 or FDA 21 CFR for food-contact use must be demonstrated on the finished article under the relevant migration test conditions.
PLA-based melts are sensitive to hydrolytic chain scission during melt processing. Bio-Flex N 25370 must be dried to a residual moisture content below 0.025% (250 ppm) before molding. A desiccant dryer with a dew point below -30 °C and drying air temperature of 70–80 °C for 4–6 h is the class-level starting point. Lots exposed to relative humidity above 60% require longer drying and moisture verification by ISO 15512. Melt temperature should be maintained between 180 °C and 200 °C and confirmed with a needle pyrometer. Barrel setpoints above 210 °C accelerate lactide reformation and molecular weight loss, producing yellowing and a stepwise reduction in impact strength.
Mold temperature is typically held between 20 °C and 40 °C to obtain rapid freeze-off and dimensional repeatability in cold-runner tools. Higher mold temperatures above 90 °C may be used to increase crystallinity, but only after re-qualification of shrinkage compensation and cycle time because the material will not shrink uniformly in thick and thin sections. Screw residence time should not exceed 5 min at 200 °C. Back pressure should be kept low, in the range of 5–10 bar, to prevent excessive shear heating during screw recovery.
General-purpose screws with L/D 20:1–24:1 and compression ratio 2.0:1–2.5:1 are preferred. High-compression barrier screws designed for polyolefins can overheat the melt. Hot-runner channels must be full-round and free of dead spots; valve gates are preferred over thermal sprue gates because frozen skins form quickly in PLA blends.
Machine selection should consider projected area and wall thickness. For thin-wall parts with nominal wall thickness below 2.0 mm, cavity pressure at the end of filling often needs to reach 300–500 bar to compensate for volumetric shrinkage. Injection pressure limits should be derived from mold-filling simulation rather than from barrel pressure readings. Switch-over from injection to hold pressure is best controlled by cavity pressure sensors or by screw position; timer-based switch-over can introduce shot-to-shot variability because of the melt compressibility of PLA blends.
When the material is transferred to a multi-cavity tool, cavity-to-cavity fill imbalance is frequently caused by premature gate freeze-off. Gate diameters for unfilled PLA blends are commonly sized at 50–70% of nominal wall thickness, and cold slug wells should be generously dimensioned. Flow-length ratio will be lower than that of polypropylene at equivalent wall thickness. Published data for this specific configuration is limited; a spiral flow test at the intended melt temperature and injection velocity is required before hard-tooling. Fill time should be kept below 1.5 s for wall thickness 2–3 mm. Injection velocities that produce shear rates above 50,000 s⁻¹ can produce frictional heating and visible flow lines. Hold pressure typically starts in the range of 60–80% of injection peak pressure; gate freeze-off time should be established by weight-conservation studies. Inadequate hold produces sink marks and voids, while excessive hold produces flash and orientation stress.
Vent depth should not exceed 0.02 mm for PLA blends to prevent flash. Vent land length of 1–2 mm is typical. Inadequate venting causes burn marks and the diesel effect at the melt front. Cooling time should be established by part ejection temperature below the Vicat softening temperature. Ejection temperature measured by infrared pyrometry should be below 50 °C for dimensionally stable release. Post-mold annealing may be used to stabilize dimensions and increase heat deflection temperature, but it can also embrittle the part and alter soil degradation. Annealing at 70–80 °C for 1–2 h increases crystallinity; the actual cycle must be validated on finished parts because warpage occurs in unsupported sections.
The following table presents class-level values for unfilled PLA injection molding formulations. These values are not a substitute for the Bio-Flex N 25370 lot certificate; they support preliminary material-selection and mold-filling calculations.
| Property | Method | Indicative class range | Process relevance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | ISO 1183-1 | 1.24–1.27 g/cm³ | Part mass and cycle cost |
| Melt flow rate | ISO 1133-1:2022, 190 °C/2.16 kg | 10–30 g/10 min | Gate and runner sizing |
| Tensile stress at break | ISO 527-2 | 35–55 MPa | Load capacity |
| Tensile modulus | ISO 527-2 | 2800–3500 MPa | Structural stiffness |
| Nominal strain at break | ISO 527-2 | 2–8% | Brittleness and snap-fit tolerance |
| Flexural modulus | ISO 178 | 3000–3500 MPa | Flexural load |
| Charpy notched impact | ISO 179-1/1eA | 2–6 kJ/m² | Impact tolerance |
| Vicat softening temperature | ISO 306 A50 | 55–65 °C | Upper service temperature |
Because Bio-Flex N 25370 is a modified PLA blend, actual tensile strain and notched impact can depart from the class ranges above. The only valid comparison is made on specimens conditioned at 23 °C and 50% RH according to ISO 291. Dry-as-molded parts may overstate stiffness and understate impact due to the plasticizing effect of ambient moisture.
The principal difference between Bio-Flex N 25370 and neat PLA is the modification of failure behavior. Neat injection-molded PLA typically exhibits low elongation at break and brittle crack propagation; the blend is formulated to shift the stress-strain response toward ductile yield, though the magnitude of the shift must be confirmed by ISO 527-2 testing. Compared with fossil-based polypropylene, the material has a narrower processing window, lower upper service temperature, and higher density. Compared with Bio-Flex film extrusion grades, N 25370 is designed for mold filling rather than blown film bubble stability. Compared with PBAT-rich biodegradable blends, the PLA-base retains higher stiffness but provides lower elongation and a sharper thermal softening response. Compared with PHA injection molding grades, soil degradation tends to be slower and more dependent on soil moisture and microbial inoculum; published data for this specific configuration is limited.
Compatibility with colorants and additives must be assessed for both melt stability and soil degradation. Avoid amine-containing additives and nitrogen-rich lubricants that can accelerate hydrolytic chain scission during melt processing. Use only biodegradable masterbatch carriers that are melt-compatible with PLA; olefinic color carriers can form laminar flow defects and reduce notched impact strength. Equipment previously used for PVC or acetal must be purged with a PLA-compatible purge compound before processing Bio-Flex N 25370.
Manufacturer claims of soil degradability are not equivalent to industrial compostability under EN 13432. The relevant soil test environment is ISO 17556:2019 or ASTM D5988-18, in which specimens are exposed to natural soil inoculum at 20–25 °C and 40–60% water-holding capacity. Under these conditions, biodegradation of PLA-based blends is substantially slower than in a compost reactor at 58 °C. Disintegration and visible fragmentation may occur before complete mineralization; mineralization is measured by evolved CO₂ and requires a suitable reference material.
Molecular weight, crystallinity, surface area, and soil pH influence the lag phase. Thick injection molded plaques will not degrade at the same rate as films or powders. Dry or cold soils, water-saturated anaerobic conditions, and low microbial activity can inhibit the degradation process. Soil-degradable labeling should not be used to justify uncontrolled disposal; the operational boundary is limited to biologically active aerobic soil environments.
