Welcome to a new field of foam applications — wearable smart patches.

More powerful functions, greater comfort and miniaturization of patches have become the development trend of wearable devices.

Wearable smart patches offer extensive possibilities for medical diagnostics, and now is rising in great popularity. Foam-based smart patches are flat, flexible and cunningly stealthy, enabling the monitoring of an individual's physiological condition during medical treatment, exercises, and leisure activities. These patches are widely used in medical diagnostics, such as measuring a patient's blood sugar level, body temperature or heart rate. Besides, they can also observe disease patterns such as skin cancer or chronic wounds. Many other applications are emerging in sports and entertainment fields.

Source: Wesper

Foam patches will support consumers to develop a positive and healthy lifestyle, and therefore, it’s crucial for design engineers and converters and devices manufacturers to select proper foaming materials and assess their properties and medical performances. Most foams are deemed as candidates for smart patches:

• Universal foam (XLPE, PE, PU, PVC foam) surface materials;
• Microcellular polyurethane foam gasket;
• Foaming elastomer gasket;
• Foaming rubber polymer (nitrile rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, fluorine rubber) gasket;
• Medical grade adhesive foam (acrylic, polyethylene and silicone) patch.

For users and manufacturers, foam patches can offer the following benefits:

• Skin-friendly, breathable, fast absorption and light trauma;
• High mechanical strength and flexibility;
• Smooth, soft, comfortable and light. They can firmly adhere to the skin without swelling, and can be removed painlessly;
• The patches can be designed nearly invisible, or in stylish shape, which will be suitable for patients who prefer to keep the patch secret, and for those who prefer to wear it as a fashionable accessory as well;
• Thermoformable and efficient, specifically designed for customers applying coil processing.

For electronic devices:

• Fast absorption allows quick response of devices;
• Sensitive electronic components can be embedded in light structures;
• High design flexibility and customized performance;
• Online processes ensure consistent high-quality and cost-efficiency;
• Devices with foam patches are soft, comfortable and durable.

Surely, the applications of foam or foam patches are not limited to the above. As the carrier of wearable devices, they have huge market potential in that they can improve the integrity of data collection, and offer additional safety for patients with life-threatening health conditions.