Issue 01/2017

Foam
New
compostable
particle foam
BASF presents ecovio ® EA with high
bio-based content for packaging
solutions
During K-fair 2016, BASF launched its new innovative expandable
ecovio ® EA particle foam. This product is predominantly
biobased (>70 %) and, like all of the grades
under the ecovio brand, it supports the biological cycle through
its certified compostability.
ecovio EA is a patented product made out of BASF’s
biodegradable polyester ecoflex ® type and Polylactic acid (PLA).
It is the first expandable, closed cell particle foam developed
as a drop-in solution for Expandable Polystyrene (EPS) and
Expanded Polypropylene (EPP) customers. By utilizing an
innovative continuous process, the ecovio polymer is charged
with the blowing agent pentane to produce expandable beads.
These expandable ecovio EA beads are shipped globally using
a standard EPS octabin packaging. Under ambient storage
conditions, these beads have a shelf-life of more than 6 months
without any quality impairment.
BASF
Convertors OEM‘s
End of life
steam
steam
Expandable beads
Foam beads
Shape molded parts
Compostable
Drop-in processing solution for EPS customers
The major advantage of this product is that the convertors can
use their existing machineries to process ecovio EA.
ecovio EA enables trouble-free pre-expansion of the beads
on conventional EPS pre-expanders. The foam density can be
adjusted by simply tuning the steaming time and temperature.
The minimum density of 23 g/l can be achieved in a one-step
and above 16 g/l in a two-step expansion. It also expands at
least three times faster than EPS, which leads to significantly
lower steam consumption and faster production cycle times. The
subsequent shape moulding can also be done using EPS or EPP
machines. The innovative blend recipe with modified ecoflex acts
as an in-situ hot melt adhesive which facilitates superior bead
fusion of shape moulded parts and leads to good surface quality.
In some cases, the mould needs to be adapted/modified to
process ecovio EA foam beads due to different shrinkage than
EPS and EPP. The major requirement of the mould is to provide a
sufficient number of filling injectors as to achieve good filling and
evenly distributed steam holes add to a perfect part appearance
and performance. By doing so, high quality ecovio foam products
can be produced continuously on standard commercial machines.
36 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/17] Vol. 12