* General guide only, there are many crossovers and caveats, please contact us for more details.
About
Tritan™
Tritan™ is a form of plastic with unique characteristics. Developed by Eastman Chemical Company, it has gained incredible popularity in a range of industries for its combination of strength, clarity, and chemical resistance. Strong, tough, and transparent, Tritan™ is optically clear and almost indistinguishable from glass in its appearance. Let’s find out more about this unique material and discover what sets it apart from other plastics…
unique material
Properties of Tritan™
Tritan™ is a copolyester which means that acids and chemicals have been added to the base plastic to make the new material. It has emerged as a groundbreaking material for a range of industries thanks to its clarity, durability and versatility.
Transparency
Tritan™ material boasts exceptional clarity, closely resembling the appearance of glass. This transparency makes it an ideal choice for products where aesthetics and visibility are crucial, as it allows for a clear view of the contents within.
Impact Resistant
Tritan™ is highly durable and can withstand rough handling without cracking or breaking. It makes it an excellent choice for applications that require products to endure challenging environments.
Chemical Resistance
Tritan™ has a high resistance to a range of chemicals, including many cleaning agents and acids.
Resistant to Heat
Tritan™ can withstand relatively high temperatures without fear of warping or losing its structural integrity.
Lightweight
Tritan™ has outstanding strength to weight ratio characteristics and is lighter than glass, making it a practical solution for applications where weight reduction is paramount.
Food Safe
Tritan™ is a BPA-free plastic and is considered safe for food and beverage contact. Its chemical stability ensures that it won’t leach harmful substances into consumables.
Typical Applications
Tritan™ is heat resistant, shatter-proof and it can be sterilised. Unlike almost all other transparent plastics, some forms of Tritan™ are dishwasher safe, with some manufacturers claiming up to 1,000 washes without loss of clarity or crack formation.
Drinkware Bottles
Tritan™ is widely used to produce water bottles, sports bottles and other drinkware because its durable and resistant to chemicals. Its ability to withstand repeated use and ease of cleaning makes it a preferred choice for these applications.
Baby Products
Thanks to its food-safe properties, chemical resistance and ease of cleaning, Tritan™ is often used for making baby bottles, toddler cups and dummies.
Kitchenware
Its heat resistance and transparency makes Tritan™ suitable for kitchenware such as blender jars, food storage containers and microwaveable dishes.
Consumer Accessories
Some electronic devices, most notably smartphone cases, benefit from Tritan’s™ lightweight nature and impact resistance.
Automotive
Tritan™ can be found in automotive lighting components, interior trim and other car parts that require its durability and clarity.
Alfresco Dining
Tritan™ is often used for making camping equipment such as lightweight and shatterproof utensils and tableware.
Modern technology
Laser Engraving Tritan™
Tritan does not engrave or mark well by 10.6µm or 1µm laser wavelengths, however it engraves beautifully by UV. UV lasers work a little differently to CO2 or Fibre as they do not damage the materials surrounding surface, using a far lower power form of marking. Working at a wavelength of 355nm, UV lasers exhibit a significantly shorter wavelength compared to the other technologies in this context. Employing a method referred to as “cold processing,” UV lasers emit high-energy photons within the ultraviolet spectrum, which effectively disrupt the chemical bonds within the material. This disruption leads to non-thermal damage to the material, meaning it will not generate any heat-related deformations in the inner layers and nearby areas of the target area.
When using a UV laser to mark Tritan™ the result is similar to that of sandblasted glass, leaving a crisp, clear and legible white mark.
MACHINE
Recommendations
Whether you’re marking Tritan™ sports bottles for personalisation or measurements on baby bottles, a UV laser allows you to achieve remarkable results that are unattainable with other methods such as printing. At Lotus Laser Systems we manufacture a wide range of laser solutions ideally configured for laser marking Tritan™. Get in touch today, our experts would be happy to recommend which configuration best suits your application.
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