As managing editor of Here's a K 2007 blog contribution from senior staff reporter Frank Esposito:
The state that's home to the Tennessee Titans now is home to a Tennesee Tritan.Tritan is the brand name of a new copolyester resin introduced by Kingsport, Tenn.-based Eastman Chemical Co. at K 2007 in Dusseldorf. The material is aimed at a broad range of applications including housewares, appliances and sheet, officials said at an Oct. 24 news conference.
(The Titans, of course, are an American pro football team that plays its home games in Nashville. Eastman officials said that the similarity of the two names is pure coincidence.)
Tritan "removes obstacles and compromises" while providing higher heat resistance, increased toughness and ease of processing, said executive vice president Greg Nelson, who's head of the firm's polymers business group.
Tritan is expected to compete with polycarbonate in a number of applications. Eastman copolyester innovation director Deborah Baum Crain added that the material, which is being made in Kingsport, "will expand the entire category of copolyesters."
"Traditionally, low heat resistance has limited copolyesters, but Tritan's is higher without sacrificing clarity and toughness," Baum Crain said.
Eastman customers using Tritan include:
CamelBak Products LLC of Petaluma, Calif., which is using it in reusable water bottles.
Vita-Mix Corp. of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, which is using it in containers for its Vita-Mix 5200 household blender. The containers are molded by Laszeray Technology Inc. of North Royalton, Ohio.
Carlisle Food Service Products of Charlotte, N.C., which is using it in commercial soup bowls.
Meantime, here's a K show attendance update: On Sunday, Oct. 28, 21,000 visitors came to the Messe. That's 1,500 fewer than on Sunday three years ago.
Still, total attendance is up compared to 2004. This year's current total is 163,000, up by 13,500 compared to the first five days at K 2004.