German Research Team Develops High-Performance PLA-Based Composite for the Electrical Industry

Plastics are essential to the electrical industry—they provide insulation and protection, requiring properties such as heat resistance, flame retardancy, and high mechanical strength. Currently, fossil-based plastics like polyamide or polycarbonate dominate this sector, while bio-based alternatives remain scarce. In the recently launched two-year joint research project "HighTechPLA," the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) and its partners are developing a bio-based high-performance composite material based on polylactic acid (PLA).

In Germany, the electrical/electronics industry processes approximately 1 million tons of plastic annually, the vast majority of which is fossil-based, while the use of renewable plastics remains relatively low. A bio-based alternative suitable for the electrical industry could make a significant contribution to achieving the 2050 carbon neutrality goals. The main challenges lie in imparting specific, interacting functionalities to bio-based plastics, further developing their technical applications, and making them economically compatible with conventional injection molding processes.

In the collaborative "HighTechPLA" research project, the development team is working on a PLA-based high-performance material for electronic components. The consortium brings together research and industry experts in material development, injection molding, and production development. The initial goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the structure-property relationships of PLA compounds, enabling the systematic addressing of performance conflicts between crystallization behavior, impact strength, and flame retardancy.

By establishing structure-property models, practical simulations of formulations and processes will subsequently be made possible and validated in actual production facilities. Christina Eloo from Fraunhofer UMSICHT's Circular and Bio-based Plastics department explains: "Our goal is to ensure that the project results can be quickly transferred into marketable products. These results also have the potential to be transferred to other industries."

The project consortium members include: Fraunhofer UMSICHT, FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, Georg Schlegel GmbH & Co. KG, Bodo Ehmann GmbH, Werner Langer GmbH & Co. KG, and LED Linear GmbH.