Thermoplastic elastomer achieving a foothold in wearables

By 2020, annual sales in the wearables industry are expected grow to 200 million devices, with smart watches and activity trackers taking the largest share of the market. Alongside functionality and the accessibility of the interface, wearability is obviously a key consumer requirement, as well as overall aesthetics. Comfort, colour and how the device feels on the skin all play a very important role in product design. This argument applies just as much to the strap as to the device itself.

Samsung chose DSM’s Arnitel compound for the Galaxy Gear S2 strap for its good balance of physical and chemical properties - the strap has superior soft touch and feel, is very comfortable to wear in direct skin contact and is certified to USP and ISO standards covering biocompatibility of devices. Arnitel is resistant to perspiration and to the various oils and other liquids that the strap of the watch is likely to come into contact with during use.

Furthermore, the material is easy to process via injection moulding, and can be used in over-moulded structures with other thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, ABS and thermoplastic polyesters. The Arnitel polymer, together with its high UV resistance, enables the production of compounds in a broad range of colours, including ultra-white.

During the development of the Galaxy Gear S2 strap, Samsung was provided with strong and rapid response support in up-scaling from prototypes to high volume moulding from DSM’s local team in Korea, backed-up by its research and product development operations in Europe and China.