Global materials science giant DSM has put the finishing touch on a new wearable from Samsung.
DSM Engineering Plastics: DSMPR477
Samsung
Samsung selects DSM’s Arnitel TPE for soft strap on latest smart watch.
DSM's Arnitel TPE has been a popular choice for a number of wearable electronics producers, the Dutch company revealed, as it is ideal for soft straps.
The high-performance solution of Arnitel created especially for wearables has been selected by Samsung for the new Galaxy Gear S2 smartwatch.
The wearables industry is currently booming. By 2020, annual sales 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 overmoulded structures with other thermoplastics such as polycarbonate, ABS and thermoplastic polyesters. The intrinsically bright 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.
Arnitel scores over rival materials such as thermoplastic polyurethanes and thermoset silicone elastomers also in terms of sustainability. Arnitel is free of any halogen, red phosphorous or fluoropolymers and is fully recyclable, which is "particularly important for OEMs and manufacturer targeting consumers with a strong awareness of their environmental footprint," according to Fredric Petit, Global Business Director Arnitel.
As an indication of the strong importance of aesthetics in wearables, DSM has for the first time ever introduced fragrances into the world high performance plastics for such applications.
Arnitel is available in different scents, such as lemon and rose, enabling OEMs to provide their customers with an additional sensorial experience.
"Arnitel is much more than a standard high performance material providing a technical solution," said Eric Choi, Account Manager with DSM in Korea. "At the important interface in direct contact with consumers it provides a complete package of high performance, good design, excellent touch and feel, and now a great smell too!"