Thermoplastic Extrusion- a Method to Produce Starch-Based Loose Fill Packaging

  • Nicolae CIOICA INMA Bucuresti, Branch Cluj-Napoca
  • Constantin COŢA INMA Bucuresti, Branch Cluj-Napoca
  • Mihaela NAGY INMA Bucuresti, Branch Cluj-Napoca
  • Gheorghe CIUTRILĂ Technical University of Cluj Napoca
Keywords: thermoplastic extrusion, loose fill packaging, starch

Abstract

Bioplastic materials, where starch-based loose fill packaging can also be included, play an important role in the evolution of modern science and civilisation. As they have unbeatable benefits as compared to classical synthetic plastic materials, they are more and more used. This paper presents some aspects of producing loose fill packaging based on starch by means of thermoplastic extrusion, putting an emphasis on the working diagram describing the extrusion mechanism with direct expansion of a partially crystalline polymer and the mechanism of extrudate expansion in its five steps: order-disorder changes, nucleation, extrudate swelling, development of voids and void breaking.