Sustainable thermoplastic compounds
View Patent ↗A thermoplastic compound is formed using a blend that includes one of processed fly ash, cinders and processed fly ash and cinders with a fractional melt having a melt flow index of less than 1 or a low melt resin with a melt flow index between 1 and about 3 or both, and a resin compatible with the fractional melt or low melt resin and having a melt flow index that is different from the melt flow index of the fractional melt or the low melt resin. Presence of the processed fly ash and cinders is believed to reduce cycle time for forming the thermoplastic compound into a plastic product from about 5 percent to about 30 percent merely because of the presence of the processed fly ash and cinders. Presence of the processed fly ash and/or cinders also permits the increased use of more fractional melt than conventionally attempted and also allows for use of thermoplastic regrind from recycling sources.
1. A thermoplastic compound, comprising:
a blend that includes a processed inorganic filler comprising processed fly ash and processed cinders;
a low index resin that has a melt flow index that is less than 3; and
a second resin compatible with the low index resin and having a melt flow index that is different from the melt flow index of said low index resin,
wherein the processed fly ash is formed of a plurality of processed fly ash particles, and wherein at least 85% of the processed fly ash particles have a particle size distribution below about 280 microns.
2. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein said second resin has a melt flow index of 3 g/10 minutes or more.
3. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein said blend includes other materials selected to control color and stickiness.
4. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein said low index resin comprises a low melt resin, a fractional melt, or both.
5. The thermoplastic compound of claim 4 wherein said low melt resin is a combination of multiple resins all selected to have in combination a melt flow index less than 3.0 and greater than 1.0, and wherein the second resin has a melt flow index of 3 g/10 minutes or more.
6. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein said low index resin is regrind.
7. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein said low index resin comprises a low melt resin, a fractional melt, or both, wherein the low melt resin is a combination of multiple resins all selected to have in combination a melt flow index less than 3.0 and greater than 1.0, and
wherein the fractional melt resin has a melt flow index of less than 1.0.
8. The thermoplastic compound of claim 5 wherein said each of the multiple resins is a polymer having a melt flow index of greater than 1 g/10 minutes and less than 50 g/10 minutes.
9. The sustainable thermoplastic compound of claim 5 , wherein the low melt resin is selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, poly (meth)acrylates, polycarbonates, poly(vinyl halides), polyvinyl alcohols, polynitriles, polyacetals, polyimides, polyarylketones, polyetherketones, polyhydroxyalkanoates, polycaprolactones, polystyrenes, polyurethanes, polysulfones, polyphenylene oxides, polyphenylene sulfides, polyacetates, liquid crystal polymers, fluoropolymers, ionomeric polymers, and copolymers of any of them and combinations of any two or more of them.
10. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein the processed fly ash has a melting point or of greater than about 1090° C.
11. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein the cinders have a melting point of greater than about 1090° C.
12. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein the processed fly ash and cinders have a specific gravity of from about 1.6 to about 2.8.
13. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein further comprising at least one of the following: adhesion promoters; biocides, anti-fogging agents; anti-static agents; bonding, blowing and foaming agents; dispersants; fillers and extenders; fire and flame retardants and smoke suppressants; impact modifiers; initiators; lubricants; micas; pigments, colorants and dyes; plasticizers; processing aids; release agents; silanes, titanates and zirconates; slip and anti-blocking agents; stabilizers; stearates; ultraviolet light absorbers; viscosity regulators; or waxes.
14. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein each of the processed fly ash and cinders comprises from about 0.01 to about 95 weight percent of the compound and wherein the low index resin comprises from about 0.5 to about 95 weight percent of the compound.
15. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein the processed fly ash is formed of a plurality of processed fly ash particles, and wherein at least 85% of the processed fly ash particles have a particle size distribution from about 0.2 microns to about 280 microns.
16. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein the low index resin is fractional melt with a melt flow index of less than one.
17. The thermoplastic compound of claim 1 wherein the low index resin is a low melt resin having a melt flow index of more than about one and less than about three.
18. A method of forming a plastic product, said method comprising the:
mixing, in the presence of heat, processed fly ash, processed cinders, a thermoplastic low melt resin having a melt flow index of less than about 3, and a second thermoplastic resin compatible with the thermoplastic low melt resin and having a melt flow index that differs from the melt flow index of said low melt resin, all to form a molten mixture; processing said molten mixture by one of extrusion, molding, blow molding, vacuum molding, roto molding, and calendering to form a plastic product,
wherein the processed fly ash is formed of a plurality of processed fly ash particles, and wherein at least 85% of the processed fly ash particles have a particle size distribution from about 0.2 microns to about 280 microns.
19. A method of forming a plastic product, said method comprising the:
mixing, in the presence of heat, processed fly ash, processed cinders, a thermoplastic fractional melt having a melt flow index of less than about 1, and a second thermoplastic resin compatible with the fractional melt and having a melt flow index that differs from the melt flow index of said fractional melt, all to form a master batch;
forming an plastic material by mixing said master batch with a resin selected to form a product with desired mechanical properties; and
processing said plastic material by one of extrusion, molding, blow molding, vacuum molding, rotor molding, and calendering to form a plastic product,
wherein the processed fly ash is formed of a plurality of processed fly ash particles, and wherein at least 85% of the processed fly ash particles have a particle size distribution from about 0.2 microns to about 280 microns.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the processed fly ash and processed cinders have a weight percent in the plastic article ranging from about 0.01 to about 95 weight percent and wherein the fractional melt comprises from about 0.5 to about 95 weight percent of the compound.
21. The method claim 19 , wherein processing said plastic material includes:
injecting the plastic material into a mold;
holding the plastic material in the mold to form the plastic article in the shape of the mold;
cooling the plastic article to permit the plastic product to be released from the mold while retaining shape of the mold;
causing the plastic product to be removed from the mold;
positioning the plastic product at a location remote from the mold; and
cooling said plastic product to ambient at said location remote from the mold.
22. A plastic product made by the method of claim 18 .
23. The method of claim 19 wherein said fractional melt is greater than 10 and less than 90 weight percent of the plastic material.