AKRON—Eastman is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its Crystex insoluble sulfur, a longstanding additive in the tire and rubber industry.
Crystex was patented in 1944 with Stauffer Chemical Co., naming the product "No Crystals" and "Crystals-X" as an explanation of the product's function, Eastman said. The brand grew over time and high thermal stability grades were added.
"From its initial patent to our nomination for Innovation and Excellence in the Tire Technology of the Year category at Tire Tech 2019, the Crystex story is one of helping customers make tires more efficiently," Brock Thomas, technology director of Eastman Tire Additives, said in a statement.
At about its half-century mark, improved dispersion grades of Crystex were introduced to provide processing benefits in rubber mixing operations without sacrificing critical properties, Eastman said. It became part of the Eastman portfolio with the acquisition of Solutia in 2012.
Crystex's legacy continues with the launch of Crystex Cure Pro, developed at Eastman's technology center in Akron, it said. The product gives tire makers an advantage to gain efficiency in production without sacrificing quality.
Eastman, a global specialty materials producer headquartered in Kingsport, Tenn., employs about 14,500 globally with 2018 revenues of about $10 billion.