Earbuds

The trend in headphones is increasingly towards wireless models. The term "earbuds" has become established for the small headphones worn directly in the ears and connected to the smartphone or music player by radio technology. Earbuds consist of numerous electronic components and are highly complex devices. They are exposed to numerous external influences, which require corresponding consideration at the development stage.

The original meaning of the term "earbuds" referred to a headphone type worn directly in the ear and whose earplugs, while firmly attached to the outer ear, are not directly inserted into the auditory canal, unlike in-ear headphones. They also differ markedly from on-ear headphones, since they are not worn on the ear. Earbuds can be connected by cable or wirelessly to the replay unit, but the term earbuds has now become associated with models using wireless technology. The headphones are connected by Bluetooth with a smartphone or another player, such as an MP3 player and provide high quality replay. The sound reaches the eardrum directly via small loudspeakers in the earbuds. The frequency range of the headphones covers the entire hearing range of the human ear up to about 20 kHz. Furthermore, modern technology provides the option of actively suppressing external noises (active noise canceling - ANC) or operating the headphones in transparent mode. Since the earbuds do not need any cables, they offer maximum freedom of movement and are ideally suited to mobile music enjoyment. 

The market for wireless headphones is growing at breakneck speed and the sales figures for earbuds are increasing worldwide. Manufacturers are enjoying enormous sales growth. According to the market researchers of Counterpoint, the overall worldwide growth in earbuds in the third quarter of 2019 alone was about 4.1 billion US dollars.

Earbuds are highly complex devices, packed full of electronics. Apart from the loudspeakers and microphones, there needs to be space inside the tiny headphones for batteries, radio modules, amplifiers and a processor unit. The housing is made out of sturdy and simultaneously skin-friendly materials. It includes a few operating and display elements, such as status LEDs or an on-off switch. There are often elaborate sound conduction channels between the loudspeaker and the acoustic delivery point inside the ear to achieve optimal replay quality.

Adhesive solutions are often used for the assembly of these components. Below you will find an overview of the most common applications for earbuds:

• Battery mounting
• FPCs mounting
• PCBs mounting
• Speaker mesh mounting
• Button fixation
• Shielding and grounding
• Covering

Earbuds are worn while people are on the move, at work or during sport. They should be convenient and not bother the wearer. At the same time, the hardware has to work reliably and feature high quality replay. The high degree of hardware miniaturization inside the devices is a challenge. Despite their complexity, the earbuds have to be impervious to external influences like moisture, sweat and constant movement. This results in a range of different requirements for the adhesive solutions used.

Every project is individual and has specific requirements. Our ambition is always to provide you with the most suitable solution. Our existing product portfolio offers established, reliably high-performance adhesive systems with specialized properties to meet your demands. In addition, we are able to develop tailor-made solutions in a cooperative partnership.​

​Please contact us directly or ask your local representative about your possibilities.