BASF joins hands with Casio to use PPA material for smart watches

Casio Computer is using BASF’s high-performance plastics to reduce the size of its G-Shock GBD-H1000 smart watch terminal.

Ultramid Advanced N flame-retardant polyphthalamide (PPA) is used to make the terminal head located on the junction box, which helps power charging and data synchronization. The low moisture absorption and high heat distortion temperature mean that the material is particularly suitable for surface mount technology (SMT) processes in electronics manufacturing because it can prevent blistering or dimensional changes in processed parts. With its inherent good laser transparency, Ultramid Advanced N also provides greater freedom for post-processing.

BASF designed the part in cooperation with Casio and Taiwanese connector company Aces Electronics. The part is about 1.2 cm wide, 0.2 mm thick, and weighs less than 0.1 grams. Terminals and plugs are fixed on the motherboard by SMT. This technology is usually used in today's electronic product manufacturing, such as watch assembly. Therefore, in the production process using SMT, a stronger material than ever is required to meet the heat distortion temperature as high as 260°C. In extensive tests, BASF PPA proved that it has higher accuracy and quality in different production processes than other materials currently on the market.

The newly launched GBD-H1000 sports watch can be used as a fitness tracker with five different sensors.

"Wearable devices open up new possibilities for consumer electronics companies such as Casio. Their users place high demands on functional integration, usability and design, all of which pose new challenges for the materials used. "Said Minli Zhao, vice president of the consumer industry for BASF Functional Materials Asia Pacific. "BASF has developed a new generation of innovative, state-of-the-art PPA under the Ultramid®Advanced trademark, so that our customers can maintain a leading position in the industry and users can also enjoy the latest digital innovations in their daily lives."