Eastman's Tritan Copolyester offers durability and sterilization solutions for rigid medical packaging

Eastman Chemical Company, a supplier of chemical, fiber and plastics, announced last week that it would expand its portfolio of Eastman Medical Polymers with the launch of Eastman Tritan copolyester MP100 at the Medical Design & Manufacturing West (MD&M West) trade show February 9 to 11, 2010, in Anaheim, California.

Eastman Tritan copolyester MP100, an enhanced-performance polymer for rigid medical packaging, maintains all the same properties that have made Eastar copolyester 6763 the industry standard for rigid medical packaging, including chemical resistance, clarity and toughness. In addition, it provides a balance of design, processing and performance advantages through higher heat resistance, greater inherent toughness and exceptional post-sterilization clarity compared with other polymers.

The high heat resistance of Eastman Tritan copolyester MP100 provides sterilization and durability advantages. Tritan allows higher sterilization chamber temperatures, allowing faster ethylene oxide (EtO) cycle times and a reduced risk of warping and sticking. The material's heat resistance permits more rapid accelerated-aging protocols that result in faster validation and more reliable shelf-life qualifications, reducing time and labor. Plus, the higher heat resistance of Tritan reduces the impact of aging and increases a package's shelf life compared with other materials.

The toughness and design flexibility of Eastman Tritan copolyester MP100 ensures the protection of sterilized contents against damage and breach of sterile barrier. Tritan offers the potential for package redesign for lightweighting and downgauging to reduce thickness requiring less source material that can result in reduced energy usage and shipping costs, as well as less secondary packaging.

Compared with other competitive materials, Eastman Tritan copolyester MP100 provides outstanding post-sterilization clarity and color. It quickly returns to glasslike transparency and original color after gamma sterilization to provide a high-quality appearance throughout a package's life cycle.

Eastman Tritan copolyester MP100 offers extruding and processing properties that are similar to Eastar . It also can be thermoformed with less wasted material and time because the material does not stress-whiten, or increase particulate or angel hair compared to sheet made from acrylic, acrilonitrile or polyvinyl chloride polymers.