Sunflower Shell Biocomposite Injection Molding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Biodegradable plastics like PBS and PBSA are expensive to produce and process, and adjusting their physical properties such as brittleness and elasticity is complex and costly, limiting their application in packaging and other products.

Innovation Solution

Compounding polybutylene succinate (PBS) or polybutylene succinate adipate (PBSA) with sunflower shell fibers to create a biocomposite material that is injection moldable, reducing manufacturing costs and enhancing mechanical properties like modulus of elasticity and tensile strength.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If biodegradable plastics like PBS and PBSA are used, then environmental friendliness is improved, but production cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental friendlinessVSAvoidproduction cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a composite material by combining biodegradable plastic PBS with sunflower shell fibers (SPC). This composite structure allows the product to maintain biodegradability while reducing production costs, as the sunflower shell fibers are a cheaper, naturally available material that can partially replace the expensive PBS component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Strength

If physical properties of biodegradable plastics are adjusted, then mechanical strength is improved, but complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical strengthVSAvoidprocess complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of chemically modifying PBS to improve its mechanical properties, the patent uses a composite approach by incorporating sunflower shell fibers. The fibers naturally enhance tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, avoiding complex chemical processes while achieving the desired mechanical performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The patent optimizes the particle size of sunflower shell fibers (0.01mm to 1mm, particularly 0.1mm to 0.3mm) and the mixing ratio with PBS to achieve optimal mechanical properties. By controlling these physical parameters, the composite material reaches desired strength levels without complex processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If processing time for injection molding is reduced, then productivity is improved, but quality may deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemachine cycle timeVSAvoidproduct quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The composite material of PBS and sunflower shell fibers exhibits improved flow characteristics and cooling behavior that allow for optimized injection molding parameters. This enables shorter cycle times while maintaining product quality, as the composite structure facilitates faster cooling and ejection without causing defects.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3448649B1Process for manufacturing a home compostable bio-plastic product, use of a sunflower seed shell and container, packaging, film, home compostable injection molded product and the like, manufactured with said method.

Publication Date: 2022.03.02 SPC SUNFLOWER PLASTIC COMPOUND GMBH

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AI summary

The invention relates to a process for producing a bioplastic product based on sunflower seed shells/sunflower seed hulls comprising providing or producing a compounded material (SPC PBS, SPC PBSA), wherein the material is obtained by compounding of a sunflower seed shell material/sunflower seed hull material with a biodegradable plastic, for example polybutylene succinate (PBS), polybutylene succinate adipate (PBSA) or the like and the compounded material is preferably used for the production of an injection molded product, for example of biodegradable containers, packagings, films or the like, in particular of coffee capsules, tea capsules, urns, cups, plant pots, flowerpots or the like.