【129】PBAT Molding: Golden Eagle Breaks Through the Technical Bottleneck

【129】PBAT Molding: Golden Eagle Breaks Through the Technical Bottleneck

Keywords: PBAT, Biodegradable, Molding, Mold

Conclusion first: PBAT is widely recognized as one of the most promising biodegradable materials, but 90% of injection molding factories won't touch it—because it's too soft, too sticky, and too hard to demold. Yet Golden Eagle not only dares to work with it but has turned PBAT injection molding into a standardized process, with a monthly production capacity exceeding 500,000 units.

The industry pain points are very specific. PBAT has an extremely low glass transition temperature and remains in a highly elastic state even at room temperature, which means products are prone to deformation during ejection. Its melt strength is low, making thin-walled products susceptible to melt sag. Even more troublesome, PBAT is highly sensitive to moisture—if the moisture content exceeds 0.3%, hydrolysis occurs, causing a sharp drop in mechanical properties. Many factories fail at the drying stage alone, producing parts covered with silver streaks that break at the slightest bend. As for the products that are barely made, improper draft angles cause them to stick to the mold and become impossible to remove, resulting in production efficiency so low that mass production is unachievable.

A company in Dongguan that makes biodegradable trash bag holders had previously approached three injection molding factories but none succeeded. The PBAT holders were too soft—they would collapse right after molding and couldn't even be picked up. After coming to us, our technical team spent two weeks on adjustments: First, we optimized the mold's demolding system by adding an air-assist device. Second, we adjusted the injection parameters using staged holding pressure. Third—and most critically—we suggested that the customer make slight modifications to the product structure by adding two reinforcing ribs. The final product achieved a 40% increase in rigidity, meeting all application requirements while maintaining 100% biodegradability.

Golden Eagle's advantages in PBAT injection molding come from three levels: On the equipment front, our injection molding machines are equipped with low-shear screws to reduce material degradation. On the process front, we have built a dedicated PBAT process database covering parameter combinations for different grades, wall thicknesses, and structures. On the support front, we have established our own constant-temperature, constant-humidity drying room to ensure PBAT moisture content is always kept below 0.2%. With these integrated measures, PBAT injection molding is no longer a problem at Golden Eagle.

For PBAT injection molding, come to Golden Eagle—soft materials can also produce hard-performing products.