Green Composite Manufacturing via Compression Molding and Thermoforming

Increasing concern over material usage and its impact on the environmental have escalated the growth of green composite materials. There are tremendous opportunities where conventional mineral and synthetic-based materials can be replaced with green composite materials. Before green composites can be used to manufacture various products, it is important to understand their processing steps and optimize process parameters. Past researches on green composites were focused mostly on characterization, and less research can be found in manufacturing of green composites. Common technologies include but are not limited to injection molding, extrusion, thermoforming, and compression molding. In this chapter, manufacturing process of green composites via compression molding and thermoforming is developed based on patents and literature review. Main emphasis is given toward key processing steps, such as material selection, preprocessing, semifinished product manufacturing, and green composite fabrication. Moreover, processing data of some commercially available green composites and biopolymers is summarized.