| HS Code | 936459 |
| Density | 1.24 g/cm³ |
| Melt Flow Rate | 8 g/10 min (210°C/2.16 kg) |
| Glass Transition Temperature | 55-60 °C |
| Melting Temperature | 165-180 °C |
| Tensile Strength At Yield | 70 MPa |
| Tensile Modulus | 3.5 GPa |
| Tensile Elongation At Break | 2.5% |
| Flexural Strength | 105 MPa |
| Flexural Modulus | 3.5 GPa |
| Notched Izod Impact Strength | 2.5 kJ/m² |
| Heat Deflection Temperature | 135 °C at 0.45 MPa |
| Vicat Softening Point | 150 °C |
| Rockwell Hardness | R85 |
| Biobased Content | 100% |
| Compostability | Industrial compostable (EN 13432, ASTM D6400) |
As an accredited Ingeo Polylactic Acid (PLA) 3100HP factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Ingeo Polylactic Acid (PLA) 3100HP is supplied in 25 kg moisture-resistant bags, palletized and stretch-wrapped for industrial handling. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | Ingeo Polylactic Acid (PLA) 3100HP is palletized in 25 kg bags and loaded into a 20′ FCL for ocean transport. |
| Shipping | Shipping: Ingeo Polylactic Acid (PLA) 3100HP is a non-hazardous, solid thermoplastic resin supplied as pellets. It is not regulated as dangerous goods by DOT, IMDG, or IATA; no UN number or placards required. Transport in sealed original packaging, keep dry, and avoid excessive heat, moisture, and contamination. Standard cargo handling applies. |
| Storage | Store Ingeo Polylactic Acid (PLA) 3100HP in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, keeping sealed original packaging or moisture-barrier containers closed. Protect from direct sunlight, heat, humidity, and contamination. Keep away from strong oxidizers. Avoid prolonged storage at elevated temperatures. Maintain clean, dry conditions, reseal opened packages promptly, and observe recommended shelf life; allow equilibration before processing. Do not exceed supplier temperature limits. |
| Shelf Life | At least 12 months when stored unopened in original packaging in a cool, dry place; moisture and heat may reduce shelf life. |
Multi-cavity hot-runner injection tools running Ingeo PLA 3100HP in single-serve coffee capsule applications operate inside a melt-temperature corridor of 190–210°C and a mould-temperature corridor of 95–110°C. Production-scale stack moulds with 32-cavity valve-gated hot runners place the highest thermal stress on the material at the melt inlet, where residence time above 200°C is held below 300 s to limit random chain scission of the lactic acid backbone. Pellets are first dried in desiccant dryers with a dew point no higher than −40°C until residual moisture by Karl Fischer titration is below 250 ppm; at plant relative humidity above 60%, virgin resin is conditioned for at least 4 h at 80°C. The formulation is kept at 98–100 wt% neat 3100HP, with colour masterbatch restricted to 0–2 wt% and closed-loop regrind capped at 20 wt% of the same production lot when food-contact status must be maintained under EU 10/2011/EC and FDA FCN 000909. Overall migration is verified in 3% acetic acid simulant for 10 days at 40°C, with the compliance threshold fixed at 10 mg/dm². Below 85°C mould temperature the part remains predominantly amorphous, and heat-distortion testing under ASTM D648-18 Method B does not support the 92–96°C steam exposure found in high-pressure extraction machines. At 100–110°C mould temperature the capsule flange and piercing shoulder develop crystallinity above 30% and retain dimensional stability during brewing and spent-grounds ejection. A process conflict exists between operator attempts to shorten cycle time and the minimum crystallisation time: chilled-water cycles below 14–16 s are possible but produce under-crystallised parts, so the cycle is extended to 18–24 s with conformal cooling and ejector-side oil maintained at 120°C. The terminal article is a compostable single-serve capsule that disintegrates under industrial composting conditions of EN 13432.
| Requirement | Standard / notification | Threshold or test method |
|---|---|---|
| EU overall migration in food-contact plastics | 10/2011/EC | 10 mg/dm² total migration; 3% acetic acid and 10% ethanol simulants |
| US FDA food-contact status for the grade | FCN 000909 | Conditions of use for dry and aqueous food contact; no direct fatty food contact above the notification conditions |
| Industrial compostability in EU | EN 13432 | ≥90% disintegration in 12 weeks; ≥90% biodegradation in 180 days; heavy metal limits apply |
| US industrial compostability | ASTM D6400 | ≥90% conversion to CO2 in 180 days; disintegration ≥90% in 12 weeks |
| EU REACH SVHC limit | EC 1907/2006 | Candidate List substances ≤0.1 wt% per article |
| RoHS restricted substances for non-food durable articles | 2011/65/EU | Cadmium 100 ppm, lead 1000 ppm, mercury 1000 ppm, hexavalent chromium 1000 ppm |
The primary substitution burden when 3100HP displaces filled polypropylene in high-clamp cutlery moulds is not peak injection pressure but the need to force stable crystal growth before part ejection. Cutlery tools with 64 cavities on 250–350 t hydraulic machines typically run 3100HP at a melt temperature of 195–210°C, an injection velocity of 80–120 mm/s through 0.8–2.0 mm wall sections, and a holding pressure of 600–900 bar. The grade is run neat at 100 wt% because the pre-nucleated formulation eliminates talc or external nucleating additives; closed-loop regrind is limited to 20 wt%, beyond which multiple heat histories reduce molecular weight and create notch sensitivity at the fork tine root and spoon neck. Gate design in production tools uses submarine gates with diameters from 0.6–0.9 mm, and valve-gated drop tips are limited to 215°C to avoid local lactide reformation. Mould thermostats are set to 100–110°C, and part ejection below 65°C is delayed to reduce handle-spine warpage caused by unbalanced cooling between the thick spine and thin tine sections. Compliance for food service consists of EU 10/2011/EC overall migration below 10 mg/dm² in 3% acetic acid and 10% ethanol simulants, FDA FCN 000909 for dry and aqueous food contact, and EN 13432 industrial compostability. The terminal finished products are high-heat disposable forks, spoons, and knives that remain rigid in 80–90°C broth and soup exposure when tool-side crystallinity exceeds 30% and moisture is kept below 250 ppm before processing.
In thin-wall dairy packaging, the binding process variable is the coupling between mould temperature and in-mould crystallisation speed, not melt flow. Injection-moulded lids, cups, and single-serve dairy pots using Ingeo PLA 3100HP are run on 24–48-cavity hot-runner tools with wall sections from 0.6–1.2 mm; melt temperature is kept at 195–210°C, and hot-runner tips are not allowed to exceed 215°C because local overheating accelerates lactide formation and gate-area embrittlement. The formulation uses 100 wt% 3100HP with white titanium-dioxide masterbatch at 2–4 wt% for opacity; the masterbatch raises melt viscosity and therefore the melt temperature is shifted to the upper end of the allowable window only when fill imbalance appears in the last cavity. Tool temperature is held at 100–110°C to push the thin-wall section into the crystallisation plateau before the flow front freezes; if the thermolator setpoint falls below 95°C, the resultant amorphous skin produces a heat-deflection result under ASTM D648-18 that fails hot-fill dairy packing temperatures of 70–85°C. Fill times in thin-wall production are controlled between 0.4–0.8 s with injection velocity of 120–180 mm/s, and gate-freeze is verified before holding-pressure release to prevent core sink. Food-contact compliance follows EU 10/2011/EC with overall migration below 10 mg/dm² and FDA FCN 000909 for aqueous and acidic dairy contact; for fatty dairy simulant testing, only the conditions allowed in the notification are considered. The terminal outputs are injection-moulded dairy lids and cups for chilled distribution and for short hot-fill exposure in automated filling lines.
Thick-wall cosmetic jar bodies and closures moulded from Ingeo PLA 3100HP require post-mould annealing above the cold-crystallization exotherm because the core cools too slowly to reach tool-side crystallinity during a normal cycle. Parts with 4–8 mm wall sections are injected at 190–205°C into a mould held at 95–105°C, then removed and post-annealed in a convection oven at 100°C for 30–60 min. This step lifts the core beyond the cold-crystallization exotherm measured by differential scanning calorimetry under ISO 11357-3:2018 and raises bulk crystallinity above 35%, reducing post-mould shrinkage and improving dimensional stability under warm warehouse conditions. The formulation is 100 wt% 3100HP with 0.5–2 wt% colour masterbatch and 0.1–0.3 wt% external mould-release additive where required by ejection force; internal slip agents are avoided where outer surface decoration demands adhesion. Regulatory oversight for cosmetics packaging is outside the food-contact framework; compliance is aligned with EU 1223/2009 for cosmetic product safety, REACH EC 1907/2006 for substance communication, and RoHS 2011/65/EU where electrical or electronic cosmetic devices are involved. The terminal finished goods are thick-wall jars, compacts, and closures used in skin-care and colour-cosmetic packaging supplied as dimensionally stable biopolymer components.
When reusable drinkware lids are injection-moulded from Ingeo PLA 3100HP, the sealing lip becomes the most sensitive locus for repeated wet-heat hydrolysis because the polyester backbone degrades even in a highly crystallised part. The lids are moulded at 195–210°C with mould temperature 100–110°C using 100 wt% neat 3100HP; colour masterbatch is limited to 1–2 wt% and regrind is kept below 15 wt% to maintain lip flatness after ejection. In use, the product is rated for 70–85°C intermittent beverage contact under FDA FCN 000909 and EU 10/2011/EC; however, published data for repeated dishwasher exposure of this specific configuration is limited, and the operational boundary is set at 60°C mechanical dishwashing. Above this threshold, hydrolysis causes measurable loss of sealing force within 50–100 cycles, and the lid may no longer maintain closure pull-off force of 15–25 N. The downstream process includes a post-mould fixture cooling stage at 80–100°C that holds the sealing rim flat within 0.2 mm total indicator runout before packaging. The terminal articles are reusable lid and cup components for cold and warm beverages, positioned for venues with controlled return-and-wash systems.
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Ingeo Polylactic Acid (PLA) 3100HP is a high-performance injection molding grade of polylactide derived from plant-based carbon through lactide ring-opening polymerization. It is supplied as pellets with a nominal specific gravity of 1.24 and a melt flow rate of 24 g/10 min at 210°C under a 2.16 kg load when tested in accordance with ISO 1133-1:2022 or ASTM D1238. The grade is specified for rigid, unfilled molded articles in which a general-purpose PLA injection resin may show insufficient notched impact resistance or excessive variability after moisture uptake. Industrial compostability claims for finished articles made from 3100HP are article-dependent and are not an automatic property of the pellet.
The “HP” designation is a portfolio descriptor rather than a standardized thermal or impact classification. 3100HP is positioned between slower-flowing extrusion grades and high-flow thin-wall injection grades. It retains the hydrolytic sensitivity and low glass transition of unmodified PLA, but its formulation is directed toward improved impact response and more consistent melt delivery in moderate-flow mold geometries. The following matrix summarizes typical physical properties reported for natural pellet under standardized test protocols.
| Property | Test Method | Reported Typical Value | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melt flow rate | ISO 1133-1:2022 / ASTM D1238 | 24 g/10 min | 210°C, 2.16 kg |
| Specific gravity | ASTM D792-20 | 1.24 | 23°C |
| Tensile strength at yield | ASTM D638-14 | 60 MPa | 50 mm/min, type I specimen |
| Tensile modulus | ASTM D638-14 | 3.6 GPa | 50 mm/min |
| Flexural strength | ASTM D790-17 | 83 MPa | 15 mm/min |
| Flexural modulus | ASTM D790-17 | 3.5 GPa | 15 mm/min |
| Notched Izod impact | ASTM D256-10e1 | 32 J/m | 3.2 mm specimen |
| Heat deflection temperature | ASTM D648-18 | 55°C | 0.45 MPa, unannealed |
| Heat deflection temperature | ASTM D648-18 | 50°C | 1.8 MPa, unannealed |
| Elongation at break | ASTM D638-14 | 3.0% | 50 mm/min |
The primary point of differentiation in 3100HP is its combination of notched impact resistance and moderate melt flow. Under ASTM D256-10e1, its reported notched Izod impact of 32 J/m is approximately two times higher than the 16–20 J/m range commonly associated with unfilled standard transparent PLA injection grades, depending on specimen thickness and molding conditions. This is achieved without a proportionate loss in stiffness: the flexural modulus remains near 3.5 GPa under ASTM D790-17. The result is a rigid polylactide that can tolerate more transient impact during ejection, assembly, or end use than a standard packaging-grade PLA, but it is not a cold-temperature ductile material and should not be treated as a drop-in replacement for polycarbonate, polyamide, or impact-modified styrenic resins.
Compared with high-flow Ingeo injection grades designed for ultra-thin-wall packaging, 3100HP has a lower melt flow rate. This reduces the tendency toward jetting and part-weight variability in thicker sections, but it also limits flow-length-to-thickness ratios in geometrically demanding tools. Unlike glass-fiber-reinforced PLA compounds, 3100HP does not introduce significant anisotropic fiber orientation; mechanical properties are therefore less directionally dependent than those of reinforced grades, although weld lines and gate-free regions still exhibit local strength reductions.
Because 3100HP remains a polylactide, its heat resistance cannot be equated with that of engineering thermoplastics. Unannealed test specimens show heat deflection temperatures of 55°C at 0.45 MPa and 50°C at 1.8 MPa under ASTM D648-18. These values place the grade within the typical amorphous PLA service range. Durability in continuous-use applications above the glass transition must be qualified by part-specific annealing or by lowering mechanical load expectations.
PLA is a relatively slow-crystallizing polyester; the heat deflection response of an injection molded part depends on the crystalline fraction developed in the tool or through post-mold annealing. When 3100HP fills a cold tool maintained at 20–30°C, the part remains predominantly amorphous and will begin to soften as the polymer approaches its glass transition, which for PLA typically lies between 55°C and 60°C. This behavior is reflected in the unannealed 50°C HDT at 1.8 MPa. If the application requires improved heat resistance, the part may be annealed at 100–110°C for a period scaled to wall thickness; however, uncontrolled annealing releases molded-in stress and can produce warpage, shrink, and dimensional drift. Published data for 3100HP-specific annealed performance in complex gated parts is limited; pre-production trials with post-mold fixturing are therefore required before setting dimensional specifications.
Higher mold temperatures in the 80–100°C range can accelerate in-mold crystallization, but cycle time increases because PLA crystallization half-time is longer than that of polypropylene and other fast-crystallizing thermoplastics. Mold temperatures above 100°C may also create ejection difficulties because the polymer remains relatively soft above its glass transition. Thermal management must therefore balance crystallinity, warp, ejectability, and productivity. For applications involving short-term exposure to warm liquids or exterior solar gain, part-level testing at the expected maximum temperature and humidity is mandatory; PLA is not a suitable substitute for annealed polypropylene or polyester resins in continuous hot-fill or dishwashing environments.
At the hopper, the controlling variable is moisture. PLA undergoes hydrolytic degradation during melt processing if moisture exceeds approximately 250 ppm. The resin should be pre-dried at 80°C for a minimum of 4 h in a desiccant dryer with a dew point of −40°C or lower. On larger molding lines, a closed-loop vacuum loader with dry-air purge is recommended to prevent moisture regain from ambient air at relative humidity above 60%. Conveying pellets through unprotected tubing or open gaylords can reintroduce moisture faster than the dryer removes it, leading to splay, reduced molecular weight, and loss of notched impact.
Once melted, 3100HP requires a narrow thermal window. The practical barrel-temperature profile is normally set from 180°C at the feed throat to 210°C at the nozzle, with a maximum metering-zone setpoint of 220°C. At melt temperatures below 190°C, viscosity rises and short-shot defects become common in sections thinner than 1.5 mm. Above 220°C, polymer chain scission accelerates; the melt flow rate can drift upward, and the molded part may exhibit reduced impact and discolored streaks. If the barrel capacity exceeds the shot weight by more than approximately 4:1, melt residence time should be checked. Residence times above 8–10 min at melt temperature can measurably reduce molecular weight and cause batch-to-batch loss of mechanical properties. During shutdown or material changeovers, PLA should be purged with a low-shear general-purpose purge compound at temperatures no higher than 220°C. Avoid purging with PVC or acetal-based compounds because their acidic degradation products can corrode hot-runner surfaces and contaminate subsequent production.
On a 120 t hydraulic injection molding machine equipped with a 36 mm general-purpose screw, a 2.5 mm plaque can serve as a process benchmark. Screw speed normally remains between 80 rpm and 120 rpm. Higher speeds generate shear heating that can push melt temperature above 220°C even when barrel setpoints are lower. Back pressure of 5–10 bar is adequate for melt homogenization; excessive back pressure increases melt temperature without improving color or mechanical performance.
Unfilled PLA grades process acceptably on screws with L/D ratios between 20:1 and 24:1 and with low-compression general-purpose or polyolefin profiles. Aggressive high-shear screws designed for fast-cycling engineering resins are unnecessary and can over-shear the melt. Mold temperature is typically maintained at 20–30°C for amorphous surfaces with acceptable gloss and ejection; raising mold temperature to 30–40°C reduces molded-in stress but adds cooling time. If high-heat performance is required, mold temperatures of 80–100°C combined with in-mold crystallization may be evaluated, but ejection becomes more difficult and dimensional stability must be reassessed.
Mold shrinkage for unfilled PLA generally falls in the 0.3–0.5% range parallel to flow and 0.3–0.5% transverse, but actual values depend on part thickness, gate geometry, mold temperature, hold pressure, and annealing history. Published data for 3100HP-specific shrinkage in complex gated parts is limited; prototype tooling or flow-analysis characterization should be used to verify dimensions before cutting production steel. Weld-line strength is lower than base tensile strength, and gate positions should avoid knit lines in load-bearing sections. Under notched impact loading, weld-line specimens may exhibit less than half of the un-notched tensile or impact value obtained from an uninterrupted flow front.
Because 3100HP is a polylactide, third-party certification for industrial composting can be available for specific articles under EN 13432 or ASTM D6400, but certification is article-specific and depends on thickness, colorants, printing, and additives. Annex A of EN 13432 and the disintegration protocols of ASTM D6400 define aerobic biological treatment conditions; finished parts may fail disintegration if they exceed the permitted thickness or if high crystallinity from annealing slows biodegradation. 3100HP should not be labeled as home compostable or marine biodegradable. Under REACH and RoHS, PLA typically falls outside the main hazardous-substance restrictions, but suppliers should confirm the current candidate list and lot-specific technical data sheet. Food-contact compliance, if required for a finished article, must be verified against FDA 21 CFR or EU Commission Regulation 10/2011 for the specific grade, thickness, and overall migration limits. Generic PLA conformance does not transfer automatically to 3100HP or to every downstream additive package.
