Solutions for medical equipment

Eastman medical polymers are used in opaque products like medical device housing, monitors and medical sensors. These vital pieces of medical equipment need materials that provide greater reliability and can withstand harsh disinfectants used to prevent healthcare associated infections (HAIs).

The Eastman Tritan™ MXF portfolio of materials can deliver:

Fire retardancy with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 94 V-2 rating at 1.5 mm

Superior resistance to chemicals and lipids

Compliance with hospital environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP) guidelines, free of halogens and ortho-phthalate plasticizers

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A healthcare provider holds a hearing screening device made of opaque copolyester.

Why Tritan?

Tritan is a durable and clear copolyester used in healthcare devices for fluid administration and blood contact. It can also be used in opaque medical equipment. Its high durability and chemical resistance ensure the protection and safety of the device, providing enhanced performance across various applications.

Clear formulations

Tritan offers exceptional toughness, heat resistance and processability with enhanced design flexibility compared to other copolyesters. It also maintains its clarity after sterilization.

Durability

Tritan offers excellent durability with high impact strength, ensuring long-lasting performance in medical applications.

Chemical resistance

Tritan is resistant to lipids, isopropyl alcohol, disinfectants and bonding solvents, ensuring reliability in various medical applications.

Sterilization compatibility

Tritan retains color and functionality after gamma and e-beam sterilization.

Opaque formulations

Tritan has robust functionality for device housing and is designed to withstand aggressive disinfection and daily impact from increased portability.

A person holds a white thermometer showing a reading of 37.5 degrees Celsius.

For medical housing and hardware

Medical housing and hardware must withstand challenging healthcare environments to prevent infection spread and meet strict safety standards. Eastman medical polymers are engineered for these demands, offering:

Superior impact resistance and durability

Glossy, clean finish after repeated sterilization

Enhanced processability, including moldability and solvent resistance

Halogen-free formulation that does not require stainless steel tooling

Flame resistance (UL 94 V-2 flame rating)

A person using a black blood glucose meter.

Commonly used materials

Medical devices made with commonly used materials can crack, discolor and become brittle after repeated cleaning.

A person wearing gloves and a lab coat sprays and wipes a surface clean.

Withstand disinfectants

Our opaque materials can withstand aggressive disinfectants used to prevent  HAIs.

Retain aesthetics

Even after repeated disinfecting to prevent HAIs, devices made with Eastman materials retain their aesthetics and impact resistance.

Chemical compatibility

Chemical resistance varies across electronic medical device applications. The impact of disinfectants, solvents and other agents can be immediate or manifest after repeated exposure and daily stress.

Such attacks can cause environmental stress cracking (ESC) and reduce rigidity, clarity, modulus and glass transition temperature (T_g). This can increase the risk of dynamic fatigue in devices. Eastman medical polymers offer excellent chemical resistance and enhanced durability, minimizing aesthetic and functional changes from chemical exposure and stress.

Explore Tritan

An electrocardiogram machine displayed in a trade show.

Understand device durability

Claiming chemical resistance for an opaque material doesn’t ensure device durability. Some materials may resist bleach and hydrogen peroxide but not isopropyl alcohol or Virex® Tb, while others lack broad disinfectant wipe resistance. Break through the confusion with an evaluation of every candidate material.

Identify material composition, especially alloys or blends.
Confirm compatibility with common disinfectants.
Require test results to support your FDA registration.
Calculate the value of a material change for fulfilling service contracts.

Chemical resistance

Device housing molded with Tritan offer outstanding resistance to lipids, Renalin® sterilant and a wide range of disinfectants. The improved chemical resistance of Tritan also means improved ESC resistance during solvent bonding and other secondary operations.

The following spiral flow pictures highlight the combination of chemical resistance and good flow properties. All test spirals were dipped in Virex Tb, a common medical disinfectant, demonstrating residual stress can cause cracking in molded parts exposed to chemicals and disinfectants.

When spiral flow samples of lipid-resistant and general-purpose polycarbonate and Tritan were dipped in Virex® Tb disinfectant, residual stress caused cracking in the polycarbonate parts. The Tritan samples remained intact.

Medical-grade polycarbonate flow length is significantly less than Eastman Tritan copolyester.

Outstanding impact strength

Tritan outperforms polycarbonate (PC) in key toughness metrics. It provides significantly higher impact strength compared to other common thermoplastics, including acrylics, styrenics, their copolymers and polyolefins.

Different materials showing Eastman Tritan copolyester MX711 and other references.

Notched izod impact bar graphic comparison.

Elongation to break bar graphic comparison.

Retain clarity, color and strength

Compared with polymers that experience significant color changes or become opaque and hazy after sterilization, Tritan copolyester provides superior color and clarity retention. See the actual comparison of Tritan with lipid-resistant polycarbonate and general-purpose polycarbonate after sterilization.

Material comparison of Eastman Tritan copolyester and other references.

Unmatched in processability

Tritan processes similarly to PC but minimizes the risk of black speck formation and eliminates the need for an annealing step. And its low residual stress and excellent chemical resistance reduce system costs by offering greater flexibility in secondary operations and improving yield.

Eastman also provides comprehensive resources to support your needs for durable polymer solutions in electronic devices, from design to commercialization and marketing.

Solutions for medical equipment