Eastman Tritan™ copolyester helps reduce noise without reducing blender performance.
There’s no such thing as a silent blender—the job is just too demanding. But there are solutions for reducing noise and improving sound quality without sacrificing motor power and blending performance.
The biggest source of sound in a motorized appliance is the vibration from the motor resonating throughout the appliance. Sound is emitted when the vibration turns the blender housing and blender jar into resonators, and they act like the body of a guitar. Typically, there are three ways to reduce noise:
- Reduce vibration at the source (less powerful or more expensive motor)
- Isolate the motor from the housing (not practical)
- Dampen the vibration with sound-damping materials
Tritan makes the third option the most practical and effective solution.
Consider both the jar and the housing.
A blender jar made with Tritan feels different, and it sounds different when you tap it with your fingernail. Scientists call this its viscoelastic response. It’s not surprising, then, that a jar made with Tritan produces less resonance than a jar made with glass, polycarbonate (PC), or styrene acrylonitrile (SAN).
The same physics apply to the material used for the blender housing. The video section shows how material selection can make a measurable difference in the sound level of a motorized appliance. Replacing existing housing material with Tritan can help reduce the sound by several decibels (dB) and lower the overall frequency of the sound that is produced.
Consider both noise and sound quality.
When does sound become noise to most people? Pure sound intensity is one measure. The frequency range of the sound can also make it a disagreeable noise. Certain frequencies (especially between 2,000-5,000 Hz) are particularly irritating to the human ear. This is the frequency range of a baby’s cry or car horns—both can be annoying even if produced at a relatively low decibel.
Consider the testing conducted with Tritan.
We have conducted a range of tests comparing the acoustic properties of Tritan to other materials. Some results are presented in our webinar “How to Reduce Small Appliance Noise Without Reducing Performance.” We have also conducted consumer preference tests with identical jar/housing combinations made with Tritan and PC.