Eastman helps high-tech brands understand why materials matter

by Alex Dudal, Eastman Market Development Manager, Electronics

Material selection played a key role in the development of Skullcandy Riff Wireless headphones.

Consumer electronics is a fast-moving target for designers and engineers. A steady flow of advances in transponders, voice activation, and other seductive technologies keeps them dreaming about their next big thing.

Even though constant innovation is key to success in the electronics market, innovating rapidly and successfully is often much easier when some things are kept constant. For electronic devices, that constant has usually been material selection.

Despite all the exciting new technologies being implemented every year into speakers, phones, TVs, and many other products, materials have changed very little over the last two decades.

At Eastman, our mission is to make products materially better. We work with designers and engineers early in the development process to help them improve electronic devices in ways that only our materials can. With our help, more companies are paying attention and turning to these innovative materials to differentiate and improve products — and satisfy more critical consumers.

Some companies get it. We recently had a chance to work with Skullcandy, the original lifestyle audio brand. Skullcandy keeps up with material developments, which is why the company is using new-generation polymers like Eastman Tritan™ copolyester to not only improve its products but also define and differentiate its brand.

“Through our consumer segmentation, our research indicated that our youngest consumers have the highest needs for durability in headphones,” said Jeff Hutchings, chief product officer of Skullcandy. “So, we sought Tritan as the best material choice to serve their needs.”

The result is the Skullcandy Riff’s ultradurable headband that was recently featured in audioXpress.

The Market Development Manager’s Sweet Spot

We’re seeing a pattern of consumers caring about the ingredients in both consumables and durable products such as electronic devices. As part of my job, I identify megatrends like this and help our customers align trends with advantages our polymers can provide — and with what the brand can do to make the consumer happy.

Just as Skullcandy found the optimum material to fit its design pillar of “built for adventure,” other leading brands are drawing on Eastman expertise to match what conscious consumers say they care about:

Consumers want their electronics to sound better.

Smart devices also need to sound good. We collaborated with a respected audio brand to see if materials matter when it comes to sound damping and audio performance. Our test results were presented at a national conference, during a webinar, and in a white paper.

Consumers want electronics to last in the real world.

Wearable electronics are exposed to chemicals such as body oils, sunscreens, cosmetics, and cleaning products. Devices such as the Skullcandy headband also need to withstand the stress of repeated flex cycles. Our ability to apply our chemical resistance expertise to address durability challenges is highlighted in this literature.

Consumers want their products to support sustainability.

The trend to end the disposable mindset is one trend that will endure. Increasing durability and premature failure of electronics have driven many brands to Tritan. We can also satisfy the megatrend toward plant-based plastics with Eastman Trēva™ engineering bioplastic.

Consumers care about the safety of materials.

Many brands choose Tritan because it is BPA-free. In fact, Tritan and Trēva are both made without BPA, halogens, or the other 880+ materials of concern listed in California Proposition 65. This can help brands avoid the disruptive labeling required by Prop 65 and similar regulations.

To learn more about how we are showing our customers why materials matter for their high-tech products, contact us. And keep up with the latest Eastman news by following Enhance Magazine | a chronicle of Eastman Innovation.