Chimei KIBISAN SAN PN-127L100 is a transparent styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer pellet supplied for injection moulding of rigid, dimensionally stable articles. The polymer chain contains a polymerised acrylonitrile mass fraction typically in the range of 24–30 %, which raises the glass transition and polar interaction density relative to general-purpose polystyrene without introducing the discrete butadiene phase found in ABS. The material is therefore classed as an amorphous thermoplastic with high optical clarity, surface hardness, and resistance to aliphatic hydrocarbons, vegetable oils, and alkaline cleaners. Published grade-specific numerical data for PN-127L100 is limited; all values that follow are given as ISO-aligned representative ranges for general-purpose injection moulding SAN and must be confirmed against Chimei lot-specific certificates or the current technical datasheet before tooling or specification freeze.

Physical Property Benchmarks and Test Methodology

The following table consolidates property ranges commonly reported for injection moulding SAN with test designations applicable to specimen conditioning at 23 °C and 50 % relative humidity unless otherwise stated. Conditioning before testing follows ISO 291 class 2/50; mechanical values are obtained after 40 h of standard atmosphere to minimise moisture-history artefacts. Tensile properties are measured on type 1A multifunctional specimens at a crosshead speed of 50 mm/min for yield stress and 1 mm/min for modulus. Charpy notched impact is derived from edgewise impact on specimens machined to 80 mm × 10 mm × 4 mm.

For PN-127L100, the melt viscosity curve and multiaxial impact retention at low temperature are the two parameters most likely to distinguish it from lower-flow SAN grades in the KIBISAN family. Processors should not extrapolate the Charpy value to falling-mass part behaviour because notch sensitivity in amorphous SAN is high and gate geometry, melt-curing time, and residual stress can shift crack initiation energies by more than 30 % in production-scale tools.

What Processing Boundaries Apply to Moisture-Sensitive SAN Melts?

Moisture control is the primary processing boundary. The pellet surface adsorbs atmospheric water; hydrolysis at melt temperature produces appearance defects and reduces molecular weight. The resin is dried in a desiccant hopper dryer at 80 °C for 2–4 h to a residual moisture content below 0.05 %. Hopper throat temperature is maintained at 40–60 °C to prevent condensation. Processors running at relative humidity above 60 % in unairconditioned plants are required to verify moisture content with a Karl Fischer titrator rather than a halogen balance; the latter underestimates internal water in SAN pellets.

Machine configuration is an injection moulding reciprocating screw with a length-to-diameter ratio between 18:1 and 22:1 and a compression ratio of 2.0:1–2.5:1. A general-purpose three-zone screw with a shallow metering section is sufficient; high-shear barrier screws can generate local melt temperatures above 270 °C, causing visible yellowing and acrid styrene-acrylonitrile degradation odours. The temperature profile is set from rear zone 200–220 °C, middle zone 220–240 °C, front zone 220–240 °C, and nozzle 230–250 °C. Melt temperature measured by an insertion probe should not exceed 260 °C for a residence time greater than 5 min. Mould temperature is held between 40 °C and 70 °C; lower mould temperatures reduce cycle time but increase frozen-in orientation and can drop Charpy impact by 20–40 %.

Mould fill strategy uses cold or hot runner systems with full-taper full-round runners if possible. Gate size for SAN should be 50–75 % of the nominal wall thickness for edge gates; pin gates below 0.5 mm are avoided in transparent parts because shear heating at the gate creates localised yellow streaks and stress concentration. The filling phase is profiled with a maximum injection pressure of 100–140 MPa, followed by a holding pressure of 60–80 % of the peak hydraulic pressure for 3–6 s per millimetre of wall section. At the end of hold, cushion is maintained at 2–5 mm. Back pressure is kept below 1.0 MPa; higher back pressure increases colour development without improving dispersion in pre-coloured SAN.

Demoulding stability in flat transparent parts is affected by the amorphous shrinkage range of 0.4–0.7 % in the flow direction and 0.5–0.8 % in the transverse direction. These values are process-dependent and must be derived from a cavity-pressure study on the production tool. Ejection temperature should remain below 85 °C to avoid vacuum pulling and sink marks over ribs. If texturing is used, draft angles of 0.5–1.0° are sufficient for polished sidewalls, but textured surfaces require 3–5°.

How Does KIBISAN SAN PN-127L100 Differ from ABS and High-Impact Polystyrene?

The absence of a butadiene rubber phase is the primary structural distinction. ABS contains grafted polybutadiene particles that raise notched Charpy impact to 15–35 kJ/m² but render the melt translucent and lower the chemical resistance to certain cosmetic oils because the rubber phase is susceptible to oxidative degradation and surface blush. KIBISAN SAN PN-127L100 remains transparent because the matrix is a single amorphous phase; its notched Charpy impact is intentionally lower at 1.5–3.0 kJ/m², and therefore the grade is not assigned to safety-critical load-bearing housings. High-impact polystyrene also contains a dispersed rubber phase but has a lower tensile modulus of 1.5–2.5 GPa; SAN provides higher tensile modulus of 3.2–3.8 GPa, better surface hardness, and better resistance to vegetable oils and detergents. In transparent parts with modest impact requirements, SAN is selected over HIPS when the part must survive contact with cooking oil, ethanol-water solutions, or cosmetic emollients without stress whitening.

Within the KIBISAN family, PN-127L100 is positioned as a general-purpose injection moulding grade. Higher acrylonitrile heat-resistant grades shift Vicat softening temperature upward by 5–10 °C, while high-flow grades increase melt volume-flow rate but can sacrifice tensile strength and chemical resistance. The L100 suffix is understood in distributor literature as a lubrication and flow-modified designation, but published processing data for this exact suffix configuration is limited; lot-level melt flow rate and additive package must be verified with Chimei because lubrication packages influence print adhesion, ultrasonic welding amplitude requirements, and solvent bonding. The material is not an ASA grade: ASA substitutes acrylate rubber for butadiene and offers better outdoor colour retention, while SAN without UV stabilisation is not recommended for prolonged direct weathering.

Material-Difference Matrix Across Transparent and Impact-Toughened Styrenics

The following comparison uses indicative values for unfilled natural grades. Values are intended for material-selection screening only and do not replace lot-specific data sheets.

When comparing transparent materials, PMMA retains higher surface hardness and outdoor weathering performance, but SAN offers lower melt viscosity and better resistance to alkaline cleaning agents; polycarbonate offers far higher impact and heat but requires elevated drying and processing temperatures, and is more sensitive to alkaline hydrolysis in dishwashing environments. Polystyrene remains cheaper but is selected only for dry goods with low chemical exposure because it stress-crazes rapidly in contact with vegetable oil and some hand creams.

When Dimensional Stability in Contact with Food Oils and Cosmetic Emollients Is Required

SAN components are used in air conditioner indicator lenses, vacuum cleaner transparent dirt cups, washing machine windows, cosmetic compact bases, refrigerator egg trays, and battery cases for dry cells. In these applications, the key qualifying property is retention of transparency after cyclical thermal and chemical contact. SAN is not chemically resistant to strong oxidising acids, concentrated alkalis, ketones, chlorinated solvents, or aromatic hydrocarbons. Ethanol-water solutions up to 50 % are generally tolerated at room temperature, but higher ethanol contents can induce environmental stress cracking at moulded-in stresses above 20 MPa. Parts designed with sharp internal corners, metal thread inserts, or screw bosses must be annealed at 70–80 °C for 1–2 h to reduce residual stress before solvent contact.

On production-scale multi-cavity tools, common failure modes observed with injection moulding SAN include gate blush from undersized gates, silver streaks from insufficient drying, flow lines caused by low melt temperature at thin-wall sections below 1.0 mm, and ejector pin marks from demoulding above the heat deflection temperature. Mould deposits from lubricant packages can accumulate on cavity surfaces after 20 000–50 000 cycles and require periodic alkaline cleaner wiping; if deposits persist, a change to a lower-lubricant KIBISAN grade may be required. Ultrasonic welding of PN-127L100 parts requires energy director geometries with 0.3–0.5 mm included angles of 60–90°, and weld strength is sensitive to regrind levels; regrind addition should not exceed 20–30 % without verifying tensile and colour shift.

Compliance assessment for food-contact applications uses FDA 21 CFR 177.1040 for acrylonitrile/styrene copolymers and Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 with specific migration testing for acrylonitrile and styrene monomers. The processor must verify that the exact PN-127L100 grade is supplied under a food-contact declaration; not all lubrication packages and colour concentrates are food-approved. REACH registration under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU compliance are handled through the material supplier’s declaration, but downstream electrical and electronic equipment converters are responsible for final article certification, especially when laser marking additives or metallic pigments are introduced.