Creating soft goods with a soft side

Working with our Silicon Valley customers to design, engineer, test and manufacture soft goods every day, it’s easy to get caught up in any number of highly technical specifications.

However, as consumers, our experience is very different when we go home and use our laptops, smart thermostats, wearable devices and smart appliances. We don’t think about what’s going on inside these devices since we just expect them to work whenever we need them.

This brings up a tough challenge for the consumer electronics industry. When we’ve mastered the internal engineering and all things are equal—flawless function, great user experience, etc.—how do we differentiate from our competitors? In this case, the look and feel of soft goods becomes critically important.

With over 100 years of experience in material science, DSM helps consumer electronics companies differentiate their soft goods with engineering plastics that deliver exceptional touch, feel and performance. Our Arnitel TPC and Arnitel XG grades were developed to overcome this challenge with the following enhancements:

Soft tactile and bio-compatible: Superior touch and feel experience with broad tactile properties: Shore 67A-95A/25D-74D. Compliant with ISO 10993; and achieves Class VI USP standards.
Environmentally friendly: Arnitel Eco grades are recyclable and manufactured using bio-renewable resources.
Mechanical strength: Flexibility at both low and high temperature. Excellent flexural fatigue endurance, high tear and abrasion resistance.
Chemical/UV resistance: Excellent chemical and UV resistance.
Excellent processing: Easy processing during injection molding and excellent over-molding and adhesion to metals, PC, ABS and polyester, such as PBT.
Coloring Capability: Easily add bright and highly saturated colors using Arnitel. We also leverage our local support in Asia for assistance with design challenges.

To learn more about our Arnitel solutions, visit plasticsfinder.com. For technical inquiries or sample requests, visit dsm.com/contactdep.

Felice Szeto-Wong

Account Manager for Envalior

Envalior