Transparent and microwavable

Hycail, the European based producer of Polylactic Acid (PLA), has expanded its PLA product portfolio with the first truly high heat resistant, transparent PLA., Hycail XM 1020.

Marcel Dartée, Hycail’s Commercial Director stated: “This material is fully renewable, transparent, and can be converted on the same equipment that is used for standard thermoplastics, like our “standard” transparent PLA, Hycail HM1011.”

“Our technologists have increased the heat resistance of PLA, without jeopardizing attractive attributes like transparency, processability, gloss, printability, renewability and strength,” Dartée added.

Hycail XM 1020 is ovenable: the material can be heated with a variety of food products and can withstand temperatures over 200°C, without distortion. Moreover, it can withstand microwaving with fatty and liquid foodstuffs for a prolonged time, without distortion or stress cracking.

As an example, cups made from the material have been proven to withstand microwaving with olive oil up to temperatures of 205ºC for 30 minutes without any distortion or cracking phenomena.

“This technology platform puts PLA in the high performance thermoplastics arena, where high heat, chemical resistance and transparency are combined,” Dartée concluded.