| HS Code | 142915 |
| Density | 1.24 g/cm³ |
| Meltflowrate | 10 g/10 min (190°C/2.16 kg) |
| Glasstransitiontemperature | 60°C |
| Meltingtemperature | 175°C |
| Crystallizationtemperature | 100°C |
| Tensilestrength | 60 MPa |
| Tensilemodulus | 3500 MPa |
| Elongationatbreak | 3.5% |
| Flexuralstrength | 90 MPa |
| Flexuralmodulus | 3800 MPa |
| Notchedizodimpactstrength | 2.5 kJ/m² |
| Rockwellhardness | 80 (R scale) |
| Heatdeflectiontemperature | 120°C (0.45 MPa) |
| Vicatsofteningtemperature | 140°C |
| Biobasedcarboncontent | 100% |
| Processingtemperature | 190-210°C |
| Dryingconditions | 80°C for 4 hours |
As an accredited Luminy D070 Heat Resistant PLA Nucleating Grade factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Luminy D070 Heat Resistant PLA Nucleating Grade comes in 25 kg moisture-resistant bags, palletized and shrink-wrapped for secure transport. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL: Luminy D070 Heat Resistant PLA Nucleating Grade, 25 kg bags, palletized, shrink-wrapped, secured; weight subject to carrier limits. |
| Shipping | Luminy D070 Heat Resistant PLA Nucleating Grade ships as a non-hazardous, non-regulated polymer. It is typically packed in moisture-barrier 25 kg bags or 1000 kg bulk bags on pallets. Transport in cool, dry conditions, protected from moisture, heat, and sunlight. No UN number or dangerous goods classification applies. |
| Storage | Store Luminy D070 Heat Resistant PLA Nucleating Grade in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, away from direct sunlight, heat, sparks, and flames. Keep containers tightly closed to prevent moisture absorption and contamination. Maintain stable temperature, avoid excessive humidity, and protect from physical damage. Use original packaging, follow FIFO, and keep away from incompatible substances such as strong oxidizers. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is 12 months when stored in original unopened packaging, cool and dry, away from moisture and direct sunlight. |
Prior to any application-specific conversion trial, D070 is dried at 80°C for 4–6 h in a desiccant dryer with a dew point of -30°C or lower; the target residual moisture is below 250 ppm. Moisture above 400 ppm promotes hydrolytic chain scission at melt temperatures above 200°C, producing a measurable decrease in melt viscosity and notched impact toughness under ISO 179-1:2010. Melt volume-flow rate under ISO 1133-1:2022 at 210°C with 2.16 kg load is used to screen degraded lots before conversion. A residence time above 200°C longer than 10 min is not permitted in any of the following conversion routes because lactide reformation causes plate-out on core pins and vacuum vents.
The principal failure mode in this segment is not short-shot filling but low crystallinity in the gate-adjacent region after demoulding. On production-scale cutlery tools with 32 or 48 cavities, hot-runner manifold temperatures are held at 195–210°C, while tool surface temperatures are maintained at 90–110°C; a temperature spread wider than ±3°C across the core and cavity produces differential shrinkage at the bowl-to-handle transition. D070 is a nucleated grade, and differential scanning calorimetry per ISO 11357-3:2018 shows a shorter isothermal crystallization half-time than unmodified PLA at 110°C, typically in the 0.8–1.5 min range for injection-moulded plaque samples. This permits demoulding of cutlery with sufficient relative crystallinity, provided that holding pressure is maintained until gate seal and the part surface temperature at ejection does not exceed 95°C. Ejecting at a cavity temperature below 85°C freezes the outer skin in an amorphous or mesomorphic state, and the utensil can distort during commercial dishwashing cycles above 80°C. For a 48-cavity cutlery tool, clamp force of 120–150 t may be required depending on shut-off area; cavity pressure sensors at near-gate and end-of-fill locations are preferred over machine hydraulic pressure to confirm gate seal. Vent depth along the parting line is kept below 0.02 mm because the nucleated melt is shear-thinning and low-viscosity at the gate; deeper venting causes flash in thin cutlery sections. The crystallized article is tested under ISO 75-2:2013 method B after tempering; values below 85°C signal insufficient crystallization at the hinge or rim. Regrind addition up to 20% is acceptable if the regrind has been dried to below 250 ppm moisture and if melt residence time above 200°C is kept below 10 min; longer residence generates lactide and causes white plate-out on vents and core pins. Food-contact cutlery must satisfy overall migration limits of 10 mg/dm² under EU 10/2011 using the appropriate hot aqueous food simulant. For US food-contact use, compliance is established through the specific Food Contact Notification under 21 CFR 170.100; the resin supplier’s statement alone is not sufficient for a fabricated article.
For sheet extrusion lines dedicated to off-line thermoforming of ready-meal trays, barrel temperatures are profiled from 180°C to 200°C, and melt temperature at the die is held below 205°C. A single-screw barrier design with an L/D ratio of 24:1 to 30:1 is used with vacuum venting at -0.6 bar to -0.8 bar; venting must remove not only water but also trace lactide from the base resin. The nucleating agent in D070 increases quiescent crystallization rate, so polished roll temperatures are maintained below 60°C to preserve a low-crystallinity sheet for secondary forming. Reheat in the thermoformer is set to bring the sheet surface to 100–125°C before the plug-assisted draw; cavity and plug temperatures below 90°C leave the sidewalls amorphous and produce post-mould shrinkage after hot-filling at 85°C. A tray formed to a depth of 30 mm to 40 mm with D070 should be tested for crystallinity by modulated differential scanning calorimetry because the grade-specific crystallization window is influenced by sheet moisture and regrind history. Published data for D070 in specific off-line plug-assisted tray configurations is limited, so line validation must correlate infrared reheat intensity with sidewall crystallinity and warp. Unrestrained linear thermal shrinkage of sheet samples is measured per ASTM D2732-14 after 1 h at 85°C; shrinkage above 1.5% indicates that the reheat step has not separated orientation from crystallization.
Deformation of single-serve coffee capsule shells after hot-water injection is governed by the temperature gradient between the pierced top membrane and the bottom dome. Extraction water enters at 88–95°C; shell sections that have not developed spherulitic crystallinity soften above the PLA glass transition and lose hoop stiffness. D070 requires mould temperatures of 90–110°C in the cap body and dome, and mould temperature variation of more than ±2°C across cavities changes local shrinkage and piercing force. Wall stock in the capsule dome is commonly between 0.6 mm and 1.0 mm; when wall thickness variation exceeds ±0.05 mm, thicker sections may remain amorphous because the local cooling rate exceeds the crystallization rate delivered by the nucleating package. The capsule is ejected at a temperature near 80°C in many stack molds; instrumented puncture testing at 80°C under ISO 6603-2:2000 provides a more useful acceptance criterion than room-temperature Charpy values under ISO 179-1:2010. A bottom-dome puncture test should be preceded by 15 min heat-soaking at 80°C in a convection oven; stress whitening before puncture indicates amorphous orientation rather than crystallized structure. Flange flatness is measured on a coordinate measuring machine with a ±0.1 mm boundary; out-of-flatness beyond this prevents the lidding material from forming a fusion seal and permits oxygen ingress. Pre-drying below 250 ppm moisture is critical because residual moisture above 400 ppm reduces melt strength and creates ovality in the sealing flange. Food-contact validation uses the appropriate hot-aqueous food simulant under EU 10/2011; the selected simulant must represent coffee extraction temperature and contact time, not ambient-water exposure alone.
During microwave-assisted reheating of frozen ready meals, container walls are exposed to localized steam pockets at 100°C, while oil-rich food zones can reach 120°C and exceed the short-term service ceiling of crystallized PLA. D070 with post-mould crystallinity above 35–40% is dimensionally stable under steam contact for reheating cycles of 2–5 min at 800 W, but it is not a retort-grade material and should not be specified for closed retort processing above 110°C or for browning trays in which heavy oil contact is continuous. Frozen storage at -18°C lowers notched impact resistance; drop impact testing at -20°C should be performed on the bottom corner geometry because PLA grades in this family exhibit a ductile-to-brittle transition without a visible pre-cracking phase. A calibrated microwave oven with fiber-optic temperature probes at the tray bottom and sidewall is used to validate that the food-contact surface does not exceed the Vicat softening point measured under ISO 306:2022 method B50 of the specific moulded part; otherwise, deformation under load cannot be separated from chemical interaction with food oils.
Dairy cup lidding lines impose a sealing jaw dwell of 0.5 s to 2.0 s at interface temperatures of 130–150°C. The short thermal pulse does not allow full recrystallization, so the D070 rim or lid substrate must be crystallized during injection moulding or thermoforming before the sealing station. A flat sealing perimeter with deviation less than ±0.2 mm is required to prevent channel leaks; nucleated PLA has lower post-mould shrinkage than unmodified PLA when tool temperatures are held above 90°C.
In thin-wall soup containers with wall thickness of 0.8–1.2 mm, warpage is driven by a gate freeze imbalance. The gate freezes before the far rim completes crystallization, leaving the gate zone in an amorphous or low-crystallinity state while the rim crystallizes against a hot tool surface. On production tools, hold pressure is maintained until gate seal, which can occur in less than 1.5 s for wall stock below 1.0 mm; if the gate diameter is below 0.8 mm, the gate region freezes at a low relative crystallinity and the container bottom can dome upward after hot filling at 85°C. The nucleating package accelerates crystallization in the thicker rim, but it also produces haze; D070 is not appropriate for applications requiring contact clarity with haze below 10% as measured by ASTM D1003-13. When regrind is added at 20–30%, the nucleation density may shift, so first-generation and regrind-containing melt cooling behaviour should be checked by differential scanning calorimetry per ISO 11357-3:2018. A tool surface temperature below 85°C at the rim produces a lower-crystallinity skin and can cause the sealing lip to distort under clamp load during capping; therefore the cooling circuit should be divided into gate and rim zones with independent thermocouples and separate flow-control valves.
Competitive Luminy D070 Heat Resistant PLA Nucleating Grade prices that fit your budget—flexible terms and customized quotes for every order.
For samples, pricing, or more information, please contact us at +8618136850665 or mail to admin@ascent-chem.com.
We will respond to you as soon as possible.
Tel: +8618136850665
Email: admin@ascent-chem.com
Flexible payment, competitive price, premium service - Inquire now!
Luminy D070 is a heat-resistant polylactic acid (PLA) nucleating grade supplied by TotalEnergies Corbion for injection moulding, sheet extrusion, and thermoforming operations where unmodified amorphous PLA does not provide adequate dimensional stability at elevated temperatures. The designation D070 identifies a compound in which a nucleant package and a controlled D-lactide fraction are used to accelerate crystallisation during melt solidification. The base polymer is a poly(L-lactic acid)-rich grade; the nucleating agent provides heterogeneous nucleation sites that reduce the crystallization half-time measured by isothermal DSC from the range of several minutes in amorphous PLA to the range of a few seconds in the nucleated formulation. Published manufacturer certificates of analysis remain the controlling specification for lot release, but industrial users evaluate the material against ISO 1133-1:2022, ISO 1183-1:2019, ISO 527-2:2012, ISO 178:2019, ISO 180/1A:2023, and ASTM D648-18.
Heat resistance in Luminy D070 is expressed through the heat deflection temperature rather than the glass transition temperature. The glass transition of PLA remains near 55–60 °C; therefore, the increase in service temperature arises from the crystalline phase developed during nucleation and annealing. Under ISO 75-2:2013 Method B at 0.45 MPa, annealed high-heat nucleated PLA grades typically fall between 85 °C and 100 °C, and supplier literature for Luminy D070 positions the grade for short-term exposure in this envelope. Unannealed parts ejected from a cold mould can exhibit HDT-B values below 60 °C because the crystallinity remains low. To stabilise the crystalline network, post-mould annealing at 100–110 °C for 30–60 min is used when the part geometry permits. The melting temperature determined by differential scanning calorimetry at 10 °C/min under ISO 11357-3:2018 is typically reported near 175–180 °C for high-heat Luminy PLA grades. Density measured under ISO 1183-1:2019 is approximately 1.24 g/cm³. Melt mass-flow rate at 210 °C/2.16 kg is commonly specified within 5–10 g/10 min for injection moulding grades; tensile modulus under ISO 527-2:2012 is generally above 3,000 MPa, while notched Izod impact under ISO 180/1A:2023 remains below 5 kJ/m² because crystallinity suppresses energy absorption. These values are class-typical for nucleated high-heat PLA and must be checked against the manufacturer’s lot-specific certificate for release decisions.
Isothermal crystallisation at 110 °C shows a shorter induction time and a higher peak crystallization exotherm in nucleated PLA than in standard PLA. The nucleant package increases the number of spherulites per unit volume, producing a fine crystalline morphology that improves dimensional stability but increases brittle failure. Avrami analysis often yields an exponent between 2 and 3, indicating heterogeneous nucleation with disc-like or spherulitic growth. The practical consequence is that cooling rate in the mould must be balanced against the time required for primary crystallisation; fast quench below 80 °C arrests crystallinity and can leave the article at HDT-B values near 55 °C despite the heat-resistant designation. Therefore, thermal characterisation of Luminy D070 must always report thermal history alongside the test value; an HDT-B result without the associated annealing or cooling profile is not sufficient for application release.
Process control in Luminy D070 is governed by the narrow interaction between melt temperature, mould temperature, and residence time. The recommended melt temperature for injection moulding is normally 180–210 °C. Below 180 °C, the high molecular weight fraction raises injection pressure and can produce short shots in thin-walled tooling; above 220 °C, random chain scission reduces intrinsic viscosity and shifts the melt mass-flow rate beyond specification. Mould surface temperature is the dominant lever for crystallisation. Amorphous PLA is processed at mould temperatures below 30 °C to avoid sticking, but Luminy D070 requires mould temperatures between 80 °C and 110 °C to place the part surface inside the crystalline growth window. The consequence is a longer cycle time because the part must cool below the heat distortion threshold before ejection. Multi-cavity hot-runner systems with valve-gate sequencing and screw L/D ratios of 20:1 to 24:1 are used to narrow residence-time distribution; dead spots in hot-runner manifolds create local residence times exceeding 10 min, producing discoloration and acetaldehyde-like odour. Direct observation on production lines indicates that melt temperature can rise by 2–4 °C for each 10 rpm increase in screw speed on a 25 mm twin-screw extruder, making screw-speed profiling more critical than barrel set-point alone.
Moisture control determines whether the moulded article meets tensile and impact specifications. PLA is hygroscopic in the melt, and hydrolytic degradation at processing temperatures is rapid when pellet moisture exceeds 250 ppm. Pre-drying is performed in a desiccant dryer at 80 °C for 4–6 h with a dew point below −40 °C. Ambient relative humidity above 60% shortens the acceptable open-air pellet hold time, and regrind above 10% increases the risk of moisture reabsorption. Gravimetric dosing is preferred over volumetric feeding because bulk-density shifts in dried pellets and regrind alter shot weight. Back pressure during injection moulding is maintained between 5 bar and 10 bar hydraulic, while screw recovery speed is limited to prevent adiabatic heating beyond the 210 °C melt limit. Quality-control laboratories monitor melt viscosity by capillary rheometry at 200 °C; a reduction in apparent viscosity exceeding 10% against virgin material generally indicates hydrolytic or thermal chain scission. Gel permeation chromatography measurements showing number-average molecular weight below 80,000 g/mol are often correlated with unacceptable impact loss. Low-molecular-weight fractions also increase mould deposit formation on venting surfaces and can raise extraction plate wear in high-cycle automotive or packaging tools.
Food-contact suitability for Luminy D070 is evaluated under European Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 and its amendments, with overall migration testing conducted in the simulants assigned to the intended food contact category. Suppliers generally provide a statement of compliance indicating that the base polymer and nucleant package meet the 10 mg/dm² overall migration limit, but specific migration of the nucleating agent must be confirmed on the finished article because conversion temperature and crystallinity influence diffusion. United States regulatory status is typically covered by the supplier’s Food Contact Notification or by an appropriate citation in FDA 21 CFR parts 174–178; users should not extrapolate a clearance from unmodified PLA to colour masterbatch, impact modifier, or antimicrobial additive systems. REACH obligations under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and hazardous substances restrictions under RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU are addressed through the supplier’s material safety data sheet and declaration of conformity. Because the nucleant chemistry is proprietary, industrial converters must retain the supplier’s compliance letter as part of lot traceability records for migration audits.
The substitution of Luminy D070 for unmodified PLA is technically justified in thin-walled packaging that encounters hot-fill, microwave reheating, or dishwasher exposure. In injection-moulded coffee capsules, unmodified PLA typically softens and deforms when the capsule wall exceeds 60 °C during brewing; Luminy D070 is intended to maintain dimensional integrity in the 85–95 °C range when the part has been annealed. The higher crystallinity also reduces cycle-time variability because the part does not stick to an 80–100 °C mould surface. However, crystallinity lowers transparency and notched impact strength. For thermoformed dairy containers, sheet extrusion is performed at 190–205 °C, followed by conditioning of the sheet to 120–130 °C for plug-assisted forming. The nucleated sheet requires precise temperature zoning because the crystalline structure stiffens the sheet and narrows the forming window. Published data for this specific configuration is limited, and line-specific validation is necessary. The key differences from other Luminy products are not limited to HDT: D070 displays a faster crystallization rate, higher flexural modulus, and lower post-mould shrinkage than amorphous L105, but it also exhibits lower clarity and lower impact resistance. Oxygen transmission rate under ASTM D3985-24 decreases only after the crystallinity exceeds approximately 30%, so barrier improvement is not automatic without adequate mould temperature or annealing.
The following comparative table is class-typical and not a lot-release specification. It separates Luminy D070 from unmodified amorphous PLA on the processing variables that most influence part performance.
| Comparative Parameter | Luminy D070 Nucleated High-Heat PLA | Unmodified Amorphous PLA Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Heat deflection temperature after annealing | 85–100 °C | 55–60 °C |
| Mould surface temperature | 80–110 °C | 15–30 °C |
| Crystallization rate | fast, nucleated | slow |
| Optical clarity | reduced | high |
| Notched impact resistance | lower | higher |
Operational boundaries for Luminy D070 include an upper melt-temperature limit of 220 °C for continuous processing, a recommended pre-drying limit of 80 °C not exceeding 8 h to avoid pellet sticking, and an incompatibility with prolonged exposure to strong aqueous acids or bases that accelerate polyester hydrolysis. The grade is not recommended for applications requiring high clarity at part thicknesses above 1.5 mm or for impact-dominated packaging without an additional impact modifier. Processors must verify the amount of regrind permitted by the supplier because repeated high-temperature cycles increase carboxyl end-group concentration and reduce molecular weight faster than in amorphous PLA. The grade is applied only when validated on the intended tooling and food-contact article.
