Straps and bands are an important component of wearable devices and watches that have to be tough both indoors and outdoors.

They need to withstand the elements, temperature fluctuations and humidity conditions, UV radiation, everyday chemicals such as sunscreens and lotions, disinfectants, saline or chlorinated water, sweat, skin secretions, and a wide range of other challenging conditions.

Above all, the strap material also needs to be soft, comfortable and biocompatible for prolonged wear.

Xiaomi chooses Covestro’s Desmopan as the preferred material for their smart watch straps.

Xiaomi has chosen Covestro’s thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) Desmopan as the material for their smart watch straps. Desmopan offers high wear resistance, flexibility across a wide range of temperatures, and high elasticity over the entire hardness range. It also features resistance to oils, greases and solvents as well as good resistance to weathering and UV radiation.

The selected Desmopan TPU grade for Xiaomi smart watches fulfills the biocompatibility and cytotoxicity requirements for long-term skin contact. Moreover, the material is molded such that it possesses a pleasant surface texture to ensure wear comfort over a long period.