Patent ID: 8389604

Claim:
A method comprising: (A) melt blending first components comprising (a-1) a poly(trimethylene terephthalate) homopolymer or copolymer resin, (a-2) 0.1 to 4 weight % of one or more ionomer polymers or a combination of one or more ionomer polymers and acid copolymers; and (a-3) optionally, 0.1 to 20 weight percent one or more organic additives selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polymers other than said (a-1), lubricants, flow modifiers, plasticizers, heat stabilizers, antioxidants, dyes, pigments, and UV stabilizers; to provide a first melt blend, wherein the weight percent of (a-2) and (a-3) is based on the total weight of (a-1), (a-2) and (a-3); and (B) melt blending said first melt blend with second components comprising: (b-1) about 0.5 to about 5 weight percent of one or more Group B polymeric toughener(s) selected from the group consisting of an ethylene copolymers of the formula E/X/Y wherein: E is the radical formed from ethylene; X is selected from the group consisting of radicals formed from CH 2 ═CH(R 1 )—C(O)—OR 2 wherein R 1 is H, CH 3 or C 2 H 5 , and R 2 is an alkyl group having 1-8 carbon atoms; vinyl acetate; and mixtures thereof; wherein X comprises 0 to 50 weight % of E/X/Y copolymer; Y is one or more radicals formed from monomers selected from the group consisting of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, acrylonitrile, maleic anhydride, maleic acid diesters, (meth)acrylic acid, maleic acid, maleic acid monoesters, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, fumaric acid monoesters and salts of said preceding acids, glycidyl acrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, and glycidyl vinyl ether: wherein Y is from 0.5 to 35 weight % of the E/X/Y copolymer, and E is the remainder weight percent and comprises 40-90 weight percent of the E/X/Y copolymer; with the proviso that Y must include at least one radical formed from monomers selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride, (meth)acrylic acid, maleic acid, maleic acid monoesters, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, fumaric acid monoesters, salts of said preceding acids, and glycidyl acrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, and glycidyl vinyl ether; (b-2) optionally, one or more resins selected from the group poly(trimethylene terephthalate) homopolymer or copolymer resin, ionomer polymers and acid copolymers; (b-3) optionally, one or more organic additives selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polymers other than said (a-1), lubricants, flow modifiers, plasticizers, heat stabilizers, antioxidants, dyes, pigments, and UV stabilizers; to provide a second melt blend, wherein the weight percent of (b-1) is based on the total weight of (a-1), (a-2), (a-3), (b-1), (b-2), and (b-3).