Visitors attending the current “Compamed” (www.compamed.de) industry fair, held in Düsseldorf / Germany from 12-14 November, will be able to get a first look at Eastman Chemical’s (Kingsport, Tennessee / USA; www.eastman.com) “Eastalite” copolyester. The new material, which is making its debut in Europe, is already in use at Vitasheet Group’s (Jülich-Kirchberg / Germany; www.vitasheetgroup.com) Carolex packaging department, which uses it to manufacture sheet material.

Eastalite is a “sustainable alternative to HIPS for opaque rigid medical packaging”, Eastman said, adding that the material is cost-effective, styrene-free and also easier to process than HIPS, and available at a comparable price. The copolyester is best suited for applications requiring lightweighting and other sustainable attributes, such as work-in-progress trays, thermoformed pharmaceutical packaging as well as packaging for medical devices and kits.

The US group said thermoforming Eastalite into rigid trays can reduce waste and cleaning as a result of a reduced risk of particulates and angel hair generation, while simultaneously cutting down processing and inspection time. In addition, the material can potentially reduce cycle times compared with HIPS thanks to faster processing at lower temperatures. The extruded Eastalite contains a foam core with contact surface skins of “Eastar” copolyester 6763, the company added. The material does not include any materials of concern, including butadiene, BPA, bisphenol S, ortho-phthalates or halogens.

Eastman said that containers formed with the new Eastalite extruded sheet can be designed with deep undercuts and durable living hinges and exhibit less stress whitening than packaging moulded from HIPS. In addition, the copolyester provides greater tear strength, while at the same time retaining colour stability and functional integrity following sterilisation by ethylene oxide or gamma radiation, the company added.