Eastman TRITAN Copolyester Provides Delivers a New Level of Product Performance for Appliance Market

Brand owners, product designers and molders in the appliance market can now obtain greater design flexibility and product performance for molded plastic parts by using Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, a new-generation copolyester from Eastman Chemical Company. This new material can provide greater value and design freedom for manufacturers and designers who traditionally use materials such as polycarbonate to produce plastic parts for small appliances.

Eastman Tritan combines the clarity, toughness and chemical resistance advantages of traditional copolyesters with higher heat resistance, improved design flexibility and ease of processing. By enabling unique product designs and performance advantages, this optimal balance of properties can allow appliance brands to better differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

“In the increasingly diverse appliance market, offering products with unique attributes is vital for brands to stay competitive,” says Randy Beavers, business development manager, Specialty Plastics Business Organization, Eastman Chemical Company. “Eastman Tritan copolyester provides appliance companies with the material advantages they need to enhance customer satisfaction and build brand loyalty.”

For small molded appliance parts that hold food and beverages, such as blender carafes, food processors and food choppers, Tritan offers a combination of advantages that cannot be replicated by other plastics in the market. Its unique balance of properties allows this new-generation copolyester to offer maximized durability for the harsh dishwasher environment, which can expose products to high heat and moisture levels as well as a broad array of foodstuffs, residential and commercial detergents, and sanitizers.

Tritan copolyester can yield parts with lower levels of residual stress than polycarbonate. This advantage provides designers with more freedom to create complex appliance aesthetics. Product designs with Eastman Tritan copolyester need not be limited to minimize the effects of residual stress. This feature can allow brands to stand out on store shelves and provide improved functionality to the consumer.

Tritan also offers faster processing than traditional copolyesters and can be readily substituted in molds designed for other materials, including polycarbonate. Because of the potential for reduced residual stress, as well as outstanding chemical resistance and hydrolytic stability, annealing procedures can be eliminated, creating the potential for increasing production speeds, lowering energy use and reducing related costs. Tritan also has a density two percent lower than polycarbonate, which translates into more parts per kilogram.