Eastman launches online Medical Technical Center

Anaheim, CA—During the Medical Design & Manufacturing show (MD&M; Jan. 29-31, Anaheim, CA; organized by MPW’s parent Canon Communications LLC) material manufacturer Eastman launched a new online Medical Technical Center to pair with its Innovation Lab. The company says the sites assist with the medical-product development process. Glenn Petrie, marketing manager for medical packaging and tubing at Eastman, told MPW that the company’s medical-grade copolyester offers clarity, toughness, chemical resistance, and color stability for non-invasive medical devices and flexible- or rigid-packaging applications.

Petrie says that preceding the launch, Eastman had updated its medical info, and one year ago, it launched its Innovation Lab, geared towards the design community. The Technical Center will look at viable materials by process and product. Eastman offers its Eastar copolyester 6763 for rigid packaging, with 15 grades available for injection molding. The company also offers Ecdel elastomer as a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) replacement for products like IV bags.

Petrie says that medical is a very important market for Eastman, and one that the company has emphasized more in recent years. “Medical is definitely an area that’s growing,” Petrie told MPW. “There has been good growth for devices and packaging over the last few years,” as well as non-invasive devices. The website allows customer s to link directly to Eastman, as well as product data and regulatory information. It is in response to changes in how OEMs and designers research materials. “I think you see a lot more people go online,” Petrie said. “Before, they would call us.”—[email protected]