SOY PLASTICS
A modified soybean oil resin is a primary ingredient in molded fiberglass-reinforced farm equipment parts being tested by the John Deere Company. A reinforcing material, such as fiberglass, is placed into a pre-coated mold of the desired part. Plastic resins are poured, injected or vacuumed into the mold to fill the remaining space and allowed to cure until the composite is rigid. Different types of plastic resins are used to make the part more or less resilient, as well as heat and/or chemical resistant. In the case of soy plastic, the new soy resin is made by further modification of commercially available epoxidized soybean oil, thus making the soy resin more reactive. When combined with a styrene monomer, crosslinking occurs to produce a resilient material similar to unsaturated polyester resins. The finish can be smoothed and painted allowing it to be used on exterior parts. The current versions of soy plastic performs much like conventional thermoset plastic materials. They are not biodegradable, are resistant to ambient heat and retain resilience at cool temperatures. Further research is needed to test chemical resistance, co-efficience of thermal expansion and electrical insulating properties.

For more information, contact John Deere Company, 203 E. Lake St., Horicon, WI 53032.