COVER STORY
I MADE THAT!
WEARABLES
Speaking of athletic activity, wearable activity trackers that can measure your heart rate, sleep habits and number of steps taken are increasingly popular. They’ve gone from being isolated to the realm of only the most-tech savvy consumers to something more mainstream, and this isn’t expected to stop any time soon. According to a 2014 report by Citigroup, the market for wearable technology could grow to $30 billion in the coming years, meaning more smartwatches and activity trackers will need to be designed, made and sold as demand increases. As you might’ve guessed, most of these items are made of plastics.
PHOTO COURTESY OF POLYONE
According to Plastics News, SPI-Member PolyOne Corp. ramped up its GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs) for growth in the consumer electronics market, and specifically for wearables, a few years ago. The company introduced a new material, called Versaflex CE, that bonds to polycarbonate and blends of acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene (ABS—also the material that most LEGOs are made of) that are often used in consumer electronics. These qualities, along with the fact that Versaflex resists scratches and exposure to chemicals (like sunscreen) that come into contact with something worn on someone’s wrist, make it perfect for use as a wristband for these devices. “Our mission is to create advanced material solutions that keep up with the next generation of consumer electronics,” said Michelle Hearn, global marketing director, PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers. “Our wide range of material technologies allow us to develop a specific solution based on the precise requirements for an application.”
Again, the fact that plastics are durable, flexible, lightweight and water resistant, as well as comfortable, make them ideal for another new segment of the constantly changing world of consumer technology. Plastics companies and workers make the components and the materials that make these products a reality day in and day out. ELECTRICITY, THE INTERNET AND MOST EVERYTHING ELSE
There are millions of miles of wires put to use in myriad functions around the world, and nearly all of them are able to operate safely and effectively because they’re protected by plastic materials. Think about the way that a TV show makes its way into your living room. A plastic-insulated HDMI cable probably runs from your television to a cable box, which has a similarly insulated coaxial cable connecting it to the wall, where the cable company transmits the particular television program you’re watching at any given moment. Think about the way you read news on the Internet. Your service provider might rent you a modem, which draws the signal from the aforementioned cable connection, or from another fiber-optic source. The modem then connects to a router, via another set of wires cocooned in plastic, that creates a wifi network in your house.
PHOTO COURTESY OF POLYONE
Even if you read news or emails on your cellphone, think about how you charge it. A set of wires that’s most likely wrapped in plastic material connects your phone to a plug in the wall, which connects a series of other plastic-insulated wires to a power source, that’s connected even further to the power company, again, most likely through wires encased in plastic.
8 THE SPI MAGAZINE Fall 2016
SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association