Online course about Natural Fibers – Compounding Best Practices

Natural fibers and fillers are the fastest growing segment of the plastics additive market. They offer exciting opportunities for new business driven by environmental and cost advantages. However, compounders still face issues such as thermal degradation, moisture intake that can prevent them from matching performance set by traditional reinforcing agents.

In order to share best practices to improve extruder feeding rate as well as the dispersion & compatibilization of natural fibers within the composite matrix, next 22 January, Luis Roca (Head of Compounding at AIMPLAS) will teach an online course about this subject.

The aims of this course are:

1. Save time reaching your requirements (good aspect ratio, strength…) with natural fibers by wisely adjusting compounding parameters (screw profile, melt temperature…)

2. Ease conversion to biocomposites with real-life guidance on processing tips, equipment requirements and basic formulations

3. Fine-tune your strategy by adjusting natural fiber concentration, length, type (flax, hemp, kenaf…) depending on your bioplastic

Who should attend? 

• Compounders who need practical support to work with natural fibers

• Molders and Designers who want to clarify the advantages and limitations of biocomposites for their future developments

• R&D professionals at Bioplastic suppliers, End-Users, Material Suppliers, Converters with an interest for natural fibers and biocomposites

What topics will be covered?

The course will cover the following sections:

1. The Biocomposites Market

o Types of Biocomposites, Pros & Cons…

2. Natural Fibers Market

o Sources, Types, Properties

o Price, avalability, format…

o Comparison with traditional fibers

3. Compounding with Natural Fibers

o Effect of Moisture, Temperature

o Mixing/Feeding o Additivation

4. Process Troubleshooting around common challenges such as thermal stability, odor…

5. Real life Case Studies related to Automotive, Electronics…

6. Future Developments & Road Ahead

More information