Eastman Tritan™ copolyester advances clear material options for durable, BPA-free housewares and small appliances
Kingsport, Tenn. — March 15, 2010 — To showcase the future of utilizing plastic material for innovative housewares and small appliance designs, Eastman Chemical Company is unveiling new prototypes at the 2010 International Home and Housewares Show (IHHS) from March 14 to 16 in Chicago. The prototypes, designed by Chuck Pelly of The Design Academy, Inc., highlight the expanding opportunities for customers to utilize Eastman Tritan™ copolyester for housewares and small appliance products.
Pelly created prototypes of a blender, beater, juicer and kettle that highlight the advantages of designing products with Eastman Tritan™ copolyester.
Eastman Tritan™ is a new-generation copolyester that provides a balance of properties to help manufacturers and designers respond to consumer demand for products that offer superior clarity, dishwasher durability, toughness and exceptional design and are manufactured without bisphenol-A (BPA).
The three-piece blender design, which features an aluminum base and a center and lid made with Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, displays the glasslike clarity and aesthetic appeal the material offers without the added weight and breakage issues associated with glass.
The innovative and intricate shapes of the ergonomic beater design showcases the combination of color tintability, design flexibility, durability and mechanical strength of Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, as its gears are made with the plastic material instead of metal.
The juicer utilizes circular shapes with concave profiles. The thin-to-thick wall sections on a constantly changing curvature highlight the ability of Eastman Tritan™ copolyester to be flexible and adaptable for the most challenging part designs compared with other materials.
The kettle design showcases the clarity of Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, incorporating ergonomic shapes and curves to demonstrate the clean, slim, crisp elegance possible when designing products with the material.
“Eastman Tritan™ copolyester opens the door for a lot of new and exciting product designs,” Pelly said. “I’m excited about this material because it provides designers and manufacturers the freedom to design products with innovative shapes, superior clarity, vibrant color and durability that would not be possible with other materials.”
Since its introduction into the housewares market in 2007, Eastman Tritan™ copolyester has proven to be an alternative to products previously made with polycarbonate (PC), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), styrene methyl methacrylate (SMMA), acrylic and other materials. Recent product examples of manufacturers switching to Tritan include the Baby Dipper® bowl and Home Concepts Products’ Reynolds® Cleverware® and Michael Graves Design® Group premium food storage containers.
“Eastman Tritan™ copolyester has seen rapid commercial success in the housewares and small appliance markets, and new products continue to demonstrate the versatility and growing applications of the material,” said Kieran Smith, durables global industry leader, Eastman. “For many customers, using Tritan allows superior clarity, shatter resistance and dishwasher durability that may not be provided by other materials.”
Eastman Tritan™ copolyester has been utilized to develop innovative, trendsetting products in the housewares, infant care and small appliance markets by companies such as Polar Plastech, Cox Culinary Emporium, Hourglass Coffee, Vita-Mix, Thermos and KOR One.
Pelly’s prototypes and other housewares and small appliances made with Eastman Tritan™ copolyester can be seen at Eastman’s booth, S5021, at IHHS.
About Chuck Pelly
Chuck Pelly is a respected leader in the design world. In addition to being a founder of one of the leading global design consultancies, Designworks/USA, Pelly contributes to the design profession through worldwide lectures, articles and appearances.
For more information about Eastman Tritan™ copolyester, visit www.eastman.com/tritan.
