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Processing of Poly(lactic Acid)

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Book cover Industrial Applications of Poly(lactic acid)

Part of the book series: Advances in Polymer Science ((POLYMER,volume 282))

Abstract

Polymer applications range from biomedical devices and structures, packaging, or toys to automotive and industrial items. So far, biopolymers could replace commodity polymers in a variety of products, especially for biomedical applications or food packaging. One of the most used and widely studied biopolymers is poly(lactic acid) (PLA). To generate new application fields and provide a broader application of PLA, research on processing behavior is still required. This chapter covers the processing relevant behavior of PLA and processing conditions for extrusion melt spinning, injection molding, and additive manufacturing. The processing-related behavior is compared to that of commodity polymers. The aim is to provide an overview of the state of the art and some recent new developments in this research field.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    tex is the measure of fineness in textiles (linear density), a fiber has the fineness 1 tex when 1,000 m of fiber length weight 1 g: 1 tex = 1 g/1,000 m.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thanks the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM) and the Technical University in Dresden (TUD) for cooperation and support, especially in the melt spinning process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e. V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069, Dresden, Germany

    Ines Kühnert, Yvonne Spörer & Harald Brünig

  2. Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Nguyen Hoai An Tran

  3. Polymer Engineering Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1513 University Avenue, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Natalie Rudolph

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  1. Ines Kühnert
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Correspondence to Ines Kühnert .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Council, Institute of Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials, Pozzuoli, Italy

    Maria Laura Di Lorenzo

  2. Interdisciplinary Center for Transfer-Oriented Research in Natural Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany

    René Androsch

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Kühnert, I., Spörer, Y., Brünig, H., Tran, N.H.A., Rudolph, N. (2017). Processing of Poly(lactic Acid). In: Di Lorenzo, M., Androsch, R. (eds) Industrial Applications of Poly(lactic acid). Advances in Polymer Science, vol 282. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/12_2017_30

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