Eastman Chemical Co. (Kingsport, TN) teamed up with PolyOne Corp. (Cleveland, OH) to launch a new family of blends based on Eastman Tritan copolyester. An announcement made at the Medical Design & Manufacturing East (MD&M East) trade show last week in New York introduced the new opaque performance blends, marketed within PolyOne’s Trilliant HC specialty blends portfolio in North America. This is PolyOne’s first commercial compound made with Tritan, which provides the blends with the chemical resistance, toughness, gloss, and hydrolytic stability characteristics of the copolyester.

Since the Trilliant HC blends are resistant to chemicals without cracking or crazing, the material is well-suited for medical devices that come into contact with disinfectants and cleansers, and tough enough for handheld medical devices that could be dropped. The processability is similar to that of polycarbonate and the material offers good melt flow, so minimal retooling would be needed when using Trilliant as a PC replacement.

“By partnering with PolyOne to introduce Trilliant HC blends based on Tritan, we can supplement our already extensive and high-quality selection of polymers for the medical industry,” said Helen Sirett, Eastman’s medical business segment manager.
Adding to the medical grades it introduced earlier this year at MD&M West, Eastman also released high-flow Tritan MX731 copolyester. The high-flow processing capabilities reportedly make this grade ideal for applications with thin walls, long cavity walls, and multiple cavities including IV components and dialyzer housings.

“This addition to our family of copolyesters offers processors a high-flow alternative that also provides high-quality, long-lasting products for the medical industry,” Sirett said. “The introduction of Tritan MX731, as well as Trilliant blends based on Tritan, demonstrate Eastman’s commitment to offering diverse, innovative material and design solutions for the medical industry.” —[email protected]