In addition to amazing wearable technology and trendy good looks, discerning consumers are demanding durable electronics that can stand up to real-world daily use. The market wants these devices to stay comfortable and keep delivering a high level of safety, acoustics, and optical performance.
Eastman Tritan™ copolyester and Eastman Trēva™ engineering bioplastics offer the attributes that are in demand in medical and consumer wearable electronics markets.
- Excellent durability and longevity
- Withstand impact and assembly stress
- Superior flex fatigue resistance
- Best-in-class chemical resistance
- Resist sweat and skin oils
- Compatible with lotions and hygienic cleaners
- Improved resistance to environmental stress cracking (ESC)
- Consumer-preferred aesthetics
- Stable clarity and color
- Excellent tintability and gloss
- Prop 65–compliant plastics
- Both Tritan and Trēva comply with California Proposition 65
- Skin-safe materials are BPA- and BPS-free
- Made without bisphenols, styrenics, and halogens
- Advantaged audio and optical properties
The unique balance of properties in Tritan and Trēva provide special advantages for the following wearable electronics:
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Headphones (including headsets and in-ear monitors) |
Headphone bands create special challenges for engineering materials because of repeated flex stress and exposure to chemicals—a combination that can result in unanticipated failure. Flex fatigue tests show how flex fatigue resistance, chemical resistance, and the modulus of Tritan deliver strong and durable performance under stress. When audio performance is critical, the advantages of Tritan and Trēva come through loud and clear. Recent collaborative testing demonstrated how both materials effect excellent vibration damping and improved distortion reduction. |
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Augmented reality (including virtual reality glasses) |
Advanced AR and VR frames and housings customers select Tritan for its impact strength and toughness when exposed to body oils and cleaners. When optical properties are critical for lenses, Trēva offers low birefringence at a lower price than TR90—no more “rainbow effect.” |
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Health monitors and fitness trackers |
For body-contact monitors and fitness trackers, contact with the skin is part of the job description—so chemical resistance should be part of the polymer profile. Tritan and Trēva both offer outstanding chemical resistance to reduce ESC and device failure. As a biobased plastic, Trēva is additionally an option for consumers and brands that demand environmentally friendly products. Trēva, the first engineering bioplastic, can also help companies seize the opportunity to differentiate their products in terms of sustainably -sourced content and environmental messaging. . |