A new video at www.jeluplast.com explains in an informative and entertaining manner what is special about the bioplastic JELUPLAST®. In the video, medium-sized German company JELU-WERK offers its customers and business partners an insight into the manufacture of the JELUPLAST® biocomposite.
JELUPLAST® is the brand name for a product portfolio of WPC granulates. The company manufactures these environmentally friendly bioplastics from wood fibres and food-safe plastic. What makes JELUPLAST® special is its high quality. JELU-WERK achieves this using a processing method developed by the company itself.
Grinding and Compounding
Now the company offers an insight into this innovative process in the new video. First the wood fibres are ground, in order to increase the proportion of fibres with a specific aspect ratio. This is because the aspect ratio determines the mechanical and physical properties of the fibres. In the second step, JELU-WERK sieves out the fibres that do not conform to this aspect ratio. The remaining wood fibres are dried and blended with food-safe plastic. Compounding is carried out under pressure so that the fibres are uniformly coated in plastic. This creates extraordinarily homogeneous WPC granulates with reliably adjusted properties. The granulates are ideally suitable for downstream processing, as they absorb back pressure better and run more evenly and faster. JELUPLAST® can be processed by injection moulding, extrusion, compression moulding, blow moulding or foaming.
The attributes of the fibres and the plastic used define the properties of the bioplastics. JELU-WERK manufactures WPC granulates based on TPS, PLA, PE and PP. Depending on the plastic used, the end products resulting from the compounds are particularly weather-resistant or up to 100% compostable. By means of additives, the characteristics can be modulated further and adjusted to individual applications. Up to 12 components can be added to the granulates by gravimetric dosing. JELU biocomposites fulfil the German standards for use in foods and toys.
JELU is a medium-sized company that has been managed by the Ehrler family for more than two generations. JELU-WERK has developed a process in house for manufacturing homogeneous biocomposites from plastics, wood fibres and additives. The company produces premixed compounds and manufactures customised WPC granulates with different filler concentrations and alternating additives according to the customers’ needs.