Thin Film PV CIS/CIGS Market Poised for Massive Growth

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new report entitled "Thin Film Photovoltaics CIS/CIGS Technology and Market".

The report provides a detailed analysis of different CIS/CIGS technology approaches and of the CIS position amongst all PV technologies. This report analyses numerous technologies regarding the technology and its manufacturing issues in close connection to the possible applications of resulting products. This helps to understand the real market potential of the final product.

Global Photovoltaic Inverter Market 2011-2015

Analysts forecast that this segment will grow at a CAGR of 8 percent over the period 2011-2015. A key factor for this growth is the integration of energy storage devices into PV inverters. The Global PV Inverter market has also been witnessing increasing number of new entrants. However, the decline of PV inverter prices could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.

This report has been prepared based on an in-depth analysis of the market with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the Americas, and the EMEA and APAC regions; it also covers the Global PV Inverter market 2011-2015 landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

STILL UNLOCKED POTENTIAL FOR CIS TECHNOLOGY

Photovoltaic (PV) modules became a commodity market and numerous PV products based on various PV technologies are commercially available. Although crystalline silicon PV maintains its leading position, CIS (sometimes designed also as CIGS) thin film PV, based on copper-indium-gallium-selenium(sulfur), reveals increased interest due to its unlocked potential for high efficiency and low manufacturing costs. However, much effort is necessary to overcome some barriers related to the complexity of this technology and its manufacturing. This report provides a detailed analysis of different CIS technology approaches and of the CIS position amongst all PV technologies.


KEY FEATURES OF THE REPORT

• Overview of the currently ongoing PV market and technology consolidation allowing better understanding of the customer needs and proper evaluation of the strategies to be chosen by equipment suppliers and module manufacturers to face the tough competition in the PV market.
• Detailed overview of the different processes, equipment and materials used in the CIS module manufacturing with focus on manufacturing techniques for CIS absorber layer Deposition (coevaporation, Sputtering, electrodeposition, nanoparticle ink printing).
• Deep analysis of different CIS technologies and market approaches considering both manufacturing technologies and possible applications of CIS modules.
• Market metrics 2011-2017 for CIS technology (in MWp and M$).
• Company profiles of 23 CIS manufacturers, analysis and comparison of technology and business development of different PV manufacturers.

REPORT OUTLINE

• Overview of the currently ongoing PV market and technology consolidation allowing better understanding of the customer needs and proper evaluation of the strategies to be chosen by equipment suppliers and module manufacturers to face the tough competition in the PV market.
• Detailed overview of the different processes, equipment and materials used in the CIS module manufacturing with focus on manufacturing techniques for CIS absorber layer deposition (coevaporation, sputtering, electrodeposition nanoparticle ink printing).
• Deep analysis of different CIS technologies and market approaches considering both manufacturing technologies and possible applications of CIS modules.
• Market metrics 2011-2017 for CIS technology (in MWp and M$).
• Company profiles of 23 CIS manufacturers, analysis and comparison of technology and business development of different PV manufacturers.

WHO SHOULD BUY THIS REPORT?

•     Equipment, Material and Component Suppliers
•     Learn about CIS technology and its market potential.
•     Identify the best CIS manufacturers to optimize your marketing efforts.
•     Evaluate the market potential for your products.
•     Strength your market position by focusing on the winning technology approaches.
•     Re-think your technology and market strategy to best fit the market needs.
•      PV module manufacturers
•     Understand the real potential of CIS technology.
•     Learn about the best technology approaches and how to deal with challenges of CIS technology.
•     Investors and newcomers in CIS manufacturing
•     Understand the real potential of CIS technology.
•     Secure your investment by focusing on the winning technology approaches.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications' website. View the report: Thin Film Photovoltaics CIS/CIGS Technology and Market

Devices Help Bring Profits To The Semiconductor Industry In 2012

MONTREAL, May 18, 2012 /ATR-Newswire/  ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new report entitled "Semiconductor Market Tracker. Quarterly Report".

After a decent first quarter, the big players of the semiconductor industry are expecting smoother sailing throughout the next few quarters. Especially now that supply chain setbacks resulting from the flooding in the third quarter of last year have fully recovered and consumer demand is improving.

Specifically, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced in early May 2012 that global sales of semiconductors in Q1 2012 had reached nearly $70 billion. Although this was a slight decrease of about 8 percent from last year's first quarter sales and a slight sequential decline from Q4 2011, the upwards trends are encouraging, especially in Europe and Japan, which had seen very poor results over the last few quarters of 2011.

As all regional markets continue to recover, it is expected that there will be moderate seasonal growth during the second quarter which will continue to build momentum as the year continues on.

The industry's recent good fortunes can be especially attributed to the unrelenting popularity of mobile devices including smartphones and tablets, such as Apple's market leading iPhone and iPad devices. Apple's successes in these markets continued to mount when it announced in late April that its profits had jumped 93 percent in the first quarter from the same period one year ago, as stronger than expected iPhone sales and new revenue from China helped drive the firm to record profits.

The firm's success has also extended to its Chip suppliers as well. For example, the price of shares of Cirrus Logic, a supplier of audio processors for Apple, jumped significantly upon news of Apple's first quarter success. Meanwhile, OmniVision a supplier of semiconductor image-sensor devices to Apple also saw a boost in its share prices in the first quarter after Apple's announcement.

While nearly all categories of chips have benefitted from the booming smartphone market, the greatest growth has come in higher end chips such as application processors, radio frequency (RF), power management, and wireless connectivity chips. Application processors, which help power the heart of the latest smartphone devices, have particularly flourished and no one firm has benefitted from this more than San Diego-based Qualcomm.

Qualcomm, which announced in April 2012 that its first quarter company revenues had reached $4.94 billion, or up 28 percent year-over-year, has reaped the benefits from the global move to more advanced mobile devices, as well as increased adoption in emerging markets. The company is also pegging that future growth will come from last year's purchase of Atheros for $3.1 billion. Atheros, which designs wireless connectivity chips, will play a larger role in Qualcomm's near term strategy of connecting smartphones to other devices in the home, including HDTVs and set-top-boxes.

However, Intel, the world's largest chip supplier, is a new player in the mobile space with its Atom mobile processor, and although it is still a minor player in terms of sales thus far, it could end up being the greatest challenger to Qualcomm's throne yet. The firm believes that the latest version of its Atom processor will help it gain a major foothold in this industry. The CPU, code-named "Ivy Bridge", was released earlier this year and sports an industry leading 22 Nanometer (nm), tri-gate design that took Intel nearly a decade to develop.

In fact, as a leading edge firm with its own fabrication plants, Intel believes that it has a leg up on many of the "Fabless" firms that license the ARM architecture. Intel recently went on record saying that despite its minor share in the mobile market, it will have a major advantage the industry ramps up over the next few years and transitions from current generation 300mm Wafer technology to 200mm level technology.

Intel will first make its move in the smartphone markets of emerging regions, such as China and India. For example, the latest smartphone release for Intel was the India-based Lava International's new XOLO X900 which debuted in India in late April and runs Intel's low-power Atom Z2460 Medfield processor. But even with all of this said, Intel still has its work cut out for it, as this increasingly competitive market is populated by some of the world's largest and most successful semiconductor firms, including the likes of Qualcomm, Broadcom, Samsung, Nvidia, and an even increasing number of ARM licensees, which will even grow to include software giant Microsoft sometime in the third quarter of 2012.  

Additionally, there will be greater industry consolidation this year, which began last year with several high profile mergers and acquisitions including Qualcomm / Atheros, Texas Instruments / National Semiconductor, Broadcom / NetLogic, and CSR / Zoran. This will mean that competition among chip suppliers should heat up even further as the year goes on and as the booming smartphone and mobile computing markets help keep the semiconductor industry highly profitable.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications' website. View the report: Semiconductor Market Tracker. Quarterly Report

Global Radio Frequency Identification, RFID Technology Market to Reach US$18.7 Billion by 2017

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the release of a comprehensive global report on the World market for Radio Frequency Identification Technology, RFID that is projected to reach US$18.7 billion by the year 2017. Growth will be primarily driven by fast paced deployments of RFID projects in developing Asian countries, especially in China. Developments in the field of smart labels are projected to hold the key to future revenue growth.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology holds immense potential for businesses engaged in production, transportation, and retailing of products. Superior production efficiency, inventory updates in real-time, shipping and importing economies, greater product security and curbing of counterfeit products are among the numerous advantages of using RFID. It is due to these and other benefits such as declining Tag prices, greater end-user responsiveness and technological advancements that RFID is gaining widespread acceptance among various businesses for a wide range of applications. On the investment front, more than 40% of shippers have increased their investment in RFID technology for supply chain applications.

Over the last few years, the cost of the cheapest of RFID tags fell to just US$0.05, which is likely to further go down in the near future. The dwindling prices will help boost widespread adoption of item level tagging. The steep decline in cost of RFID tags is palpable by its mass production for widespread usage in tracking pets, and livestock, minute components in car assembly plants, and luggage at transit points. Consumer goods manufacturers have of late shown interest in adopting smart tags and the sheer size of the retail industry promises order inflows by the billions. Soon, these smart tags would replace bar codes in consumer goods packaging. In addition, government programs to replace plastic ID cards and paper passport with smartcards and electronic passports, which use contactless Chip technologies, spur adoption of RFID technologies.

While growth in the RFID market will continue to be driven mainly by security and access control applications such as e-identification, and other government sponsored security projects such as passport security, and border crossing cards, growing penetration of RFID technology into other application areas in manufacturing, transport, animal tracking, aviation and commercial segments such as retail and textile is expected to secure the future of the RFID market. Tagging of animals is expected to grow strongly, as laws and regulations governing livestock, wildlife, aquaculture and pet care become more stringent. RFID devices will also make rapid strides into food safety industry in the short to medium term period. Epidemic outbreaks such as bird flu, and concerns over animal health, and food safety, which makes traceability and origin of animal meat a critical necessity, will boost market prospects for RFID in the food safety sector. With consumer awareness on food safety on the rise, RFID devices, which can provide traceability of food product over the entire food supply chain is expected to witness considerable growth in demand in food safety applications.

Use of RFID technology for product-tracking and inventory management especially has gained momentum over the last few years. This is because RFID tags and readers help retail managers in improving stock visibility, monitoring shipment in transit, managing product movement, tracking goods on-shelf and in warehouse, and tracing other valuable and often utilized items, thus driving better on-shelf inventory replenishment, reduction of wastage, improved productivity, and efficient logistics. Retail chains and malls are increasingly adopting the concept of ‘smart shelves’, which enables consumers read related product information and other pricing data via RFID readers integrated in phones and other portable equipment. Although still in early stages of adoption in the pharmaceutical industry, RFID technology is slowly gaining in prominence in this sector. Regulatory demands such as implementation of e-Pedigree in supply chain, as mandated by California Board of Pharmacy will also generate substantial demand for RFID in the pharmaceutical sector. As pharmaceutical companies realize the pivotal role played by RFID technology in eliminating fake drugs in supply chain, demand for RFID hardware, software and services is expected increase. Aviation sector is another prominent area, where RFID is expected to gain momentum, especially for in-flight services, baggage handling, and cargo tracking.

Although developed markets such as US and Europe continue to remain the largest revenue generators for RFID, future growth in the market will be primarily driven by fast increasing RFID deployments in major countries such as India, China, Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea. Growth in these markets is largely attributed to the support extended by regional governments in promoting the adoption of RFID technology across various application areas such as transportation and national IDs. Increasing acceptance by private participants and falling prices of RFID hardware and software, will also increase market prospects further. Adoption of RFID in the region will increase further as success stories on early RFID installations emerge, and as customers begin to realize the benefits of RFID technology.

As stated by the new market research report on Radio Frequency Identification Technology, the United States represents the largest market worldwide, followed by Europe. Asia-Pacific represents the fastest growing regional market with a projected CAGR of 21.7% over the analysis period. Use of RFID in Security and Access Control Applications and in Manufacturing & Logistics Applications is expected to grow at a strong double digit CAGR of 17.9% over the analysis period.

Major players in the marketplace include HID Global, Brady Corporation, Checkpoint Systems Inc, Gemalto NV, Hitachi Ltd., Intermec Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Precision Dynamics Corporation, Savi Technology Inc., Sirit Inc., TagMaster AB, TagSys RFID, Texas Instruments Inc., TransCore, and Zebra Technologies Corporation, among others.

The research report titled “Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology: A Global Strategic Business Report” provides a comprehensive review of market trends, issues, drivers, company profiles, mergers, acquisitions and other strategic industry activities. Market estimates and projections in US$ Million are presented for all major geographic markets including the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia, The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Ireland and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Rest of Asia-Pacific), Middle East & Africa and Latin America. Product segments analyzed include RFID Tags (Active & Passive), RFID Readers (Low Frequency & High Frequency), RFID Software and RFID Services. Key end-use segments analyzed include Security and Access Control, Transportation, Manufacturing & Logistics, and Animal Tracking among others.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications' website. View the report: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology: A Global Strategic Business Report.

Optoelectronics Market Sales and Demand Expected to Grow Strongly Through 2017

MONTREAL, April 27, 2012 /  ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new report entitled "Optoelectronics Market Tracker. Quarterly Report".

The diverse optoelectronics segment includes both integrated and discrete products that use optical and electronic means to, source, detect, or otherwise control light. The need for increased integration of image sensors and LEDs is occurring in very high volume application designs and the opportunity for growth will continue to surpass many digital IC product markets.

The emerging areas that are driving new growth channels include applications like LCD televisions, lighting fixtures, and OLED displays in the short term. Meanwhile, developments in optoelectronic technology over the medium to long term will be driven by advancements in medical applications, and in “green” photonic applications.

For its latest optoelectronics product release, Sharp continued its transition away from CCFL-based LCD products into all-LED Backlight technology with a 10.1 inch WXGA LED-backlit LCD, specifically designed for use in tablet PC applications.

Panasonic brought to market a 1.3 megapixel MOS type image sensor for use in applications related to security cameras or networked cameras. Sony announced that it had developed a next generation back-illuminated CMOS image sensor.

Recent LTE Implementation for Europe

LTE smartphone availability in Europe is going slower than it was in the U.S. as European operators are not “as aggressive” as in the U.S. Two operators in Germany, Vodafone and Deutsche Telecom, have rolled out a few LTE smartphones. They started with LTE-enabled network in rural areas, moving to enabling cities later, a pre-condition upon getting required spectrum licenses.

In March 2012, Vodafone has launched the HTC Velocity 4G phone, the first LTE smartphone on the German market. Following this, there are a number of further launches of smartphones and tablets, including one by Asus. Sweden has also started selling the Samsung Galaxy LTE smartphone, with LTE services being made available in most northern European countries.

Market Trends

The consumer and communications application segments continue to account for the majority of optoelectronics revenue, coming from increased demand and high product volumes, which have resulted in new product innovations.

Led by LEDs, sales and unit shipments of optoelectronics are expected grow strongly for this year and for the duration of the forecast period through 2017. Demand for LEDs and OLEDs is growing due to new products ranging from television displays to general lighting applications. LEDs, including Organic LEDs or OLEDs, high brightness white LEDs, and others, will remain the largest and fastest growing individual product within the optoelectronics market

Another major product in the optoelectronics market is image sensors. Demand for image sensors primarily depends upon the health of its major application segments such as mobile communications, computers, and consumer electronics markets. Growth in the short term will result from increased demand for camera-enabled phones and consumer electronics such as camcorders and PC-based cameras. In terms of application consumption, the communications market, which is mainly composed of mobile phones and wireless infrastructure, accounts for the majority of optoelectronics revenue.

The automotive market will likely remain one of the smallest application areas for optoelectronics, but products are increasingly being used in lighting, cruise control, instrumentation, and infotainment systems. Industrial will remain the third largest market, due to the inclusion of the general and factory lighting segments which are major growth applications for high brightness white LEDs, and because of the significant growth seen in medical and in some mil/aero applications.

Current Trends

• China's Huawei and ZTE growing market share in smartphones
• Recent LTE implementation for Europe
• Positive U.S. auto sales update
• Apple's prediction for the future of tablets
• Sony's 3D and OLED television strategies
• Mobile phone trends from Mobile World Congress
• Nokia introduces 41-Megapixel smartphone camera
• Samsung reveals ambitious medical strategy
• Stacked CMOS image sensor design for back illumination
• LED efficiency now exceeds 100 percent

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications' website. View the report: Optoelectronics Market Tracker. Quarterly Report

Sales of Optoelectronics, Sensors, and Discretes Set Record in 2011

ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new report entitled "Market Analysis And Forecast For Optoelectronics, Sensors And Discretes".

Strong demand for MEMS-based sensors, Fiber-optic laser Transmitters, CMOS image sensors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and power transistors enabled the optoelectronic, sensor/actuator, and discrete semiconductors marketplace to grow by a slightly better-than-average 8% in 2011 to a new record-high $57.4 billion despite a substantial pullback in most product categories at the end of the year. The new annual report forecasts a 7% increase in total O-S-D sales in 2012 to $61.6 billion, with nearly all of the product categories in the three market segments expected to achieve modest growth this year.

The new 348-page O-S-D Report shows the strongest 2012 growth rates occurring in acceleration/yaw sensors (+21%), laser transmitters (+18%), pressure sensors (+15%), magnetic-field sensors (+14%), and actuators (+11%). Solid-state lamp sales, which grew 16% in 2011 on the strength of high-brightness LEDs, are expected to rise just 10% in 2012 primarily due to price erosion from a buildup of inventories in some device categories as growth rates in LED-backlit display applications slow and suppliers wait for new room-lighting products to gain wider acceptance worldwide. The 2012 O-S-D Report expects relatively slow sales growth in high-brightness white LEDs until 2014, when expensive solid-state lights finally become cheap enough to compete with conventional lighting products in mainstream end-user markets.

Motion-activated user interfaces, embedded automatic controls, and location-aware features in cellphones and portable electronics will continue to drive up sales of sensors built with microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. The detailed five-year forecast in the 2012 O-S-D Report also shows power transistors and related discrete semiconductors steadily climbing to record sales levels due to the spread of battery-operated electronics, renewable energy systems, hybrid and electric vehicles, and the global emphasis on reductions in electricity consumption. CMOS image sensors are also expected to see another wave of strong growth from new imaging applications and machine-vision designs, which will include automotive safety systems and intelligent surveillance networks.

The semiconductor universe consists of integrated circuits (ICs) and optoelectronic, sensor, and discrete (O-S-D) components. Although often overlooked in the past, the O-S-D market segments now command more attention due to a number of high-growth product categories that have consistently outperformed ICs and several "hot" emerging technologies that have moved into volume production. Among these technologies are microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for sensors and actuators and high-brightness light-emitting diodes (HB-LEDs) for solid-state lighting applications.

The report covers all the product categories of the optoelectronics, sensors/actuators, and discretes markets, which together accounted for nearly 18% of total semiconductor sales in 2011 compared to about 14% in 2000.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications' website. View the report: Market Analysis And Forecast For Optoelectronics, Sensors And Discretes

Changes in the Photovoltaics Market for Transparent Conductors

MONTREAL, Feb. 27, 2012 ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new report entitled "Transparent Conductors in Thin Film and Organic Photovoltaics".

Analysts' eight-year forecasts suggest that the market for transparent conductors (TCs) in both inorganic and organic thin-film photovoltaics (TFPV) applications will be about $90 million in 2012 and grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 30 percent to a value of over $635 million by the end of the forecast period in 2019. Researchers anticipate this growth despite the current difficult overall environment for PV, in which government subsidies are under threat and in which there are huge pressures to reduce TFPV costs to make TFPV competitive with c-Si PV and with other sources of energy in general.

The biggest change since the last report on this subject is the very different economic situation surrounding PV in general. By all accounts, the PV market in 2012 is entering a period of lackluster growth, which is in stark contrast to the last several years that saw year-to-year doubling (or more) of the market, even in the midst of worldwide recession. But now a glut of conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV modules on the market after over-production by the Chinese PV panel makers, along with dropping prices, is expected to significantly slow growth rates in PV production starting in 2012 and for the next few years.

The other big change is in the political environment. Lingering fiscal concerns in important global markets in the United States and the European Union coupled with slow growth and high unemployment have led governments around the world to consider serious cost-cutting measures in an effort to reduce debt. To date, most subsidies, feed-in tariffs, and other tax incentives for PV remain in place. However, their future is uncertain; governments are likely to see these subsidies as targets for the cost-cutting axe. And the Solyndra scandal in the U.S. in 2011 didn't help matters with respect to public opinion related to government support of particular companies or technologies.

But what does all of this mean for TCs in PV applications? TCs are used principally in the thin-film and organic PV sectors rather than in the c-Si sector. And since TFPV in general is gaining share versus c-Si PV, the market prospects for TCs in PV applications are better than they might appear at first glance. It is believed that the pace of growth in the TFPV markets will offset declines related to decreasing government support and slow overall economic growth, but we also believe that the days of really rapid growth are over, especially in the more established TFPV sectors of thin-film silicon (TF-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper-indium-gallium-(di)selenide (CIGS) PV.

That said, opportunities exist for TCs to create value for leading-edge PV technologies. To capitalize on these opportunities, TC suppliers need to implement active business development plans designed to make the case that costs can be reduced without sacrifices in performance.

Examples of the kinds of arguments that can be made in favor of particular TCs or TC suppliers include the following:

• Indium-free transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), or the "alt-TCOs", can replace whatever expensive ITO is left in the PV sector with minimal impact to existing production methods. Some TCOs are better suited than ITO to particular PV types based on their lower cost, commodity-scale availability, processing temperature window, or work function match to the rest of the TFPV cell. For example, fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), which is widely available in pre-coated glass sheets, is a natural fit for most rigid, superstrate PV configurations; on the other hand, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) is a good fit for substrate-configured cells that require lower temperatures for TCO Deposition and a lower work function metal.

• Implementation of new target systems or new deposition processes, such as by transitioning from conventional planar targets to more efficient rotary targets wherever possible, could greatly improve utilization rates and directly affect the bottom line. In addition, TC (and equipment) suppliers can partner with panel makers on the optimization of existing deposition processes to maximize TC mobility, which would improve cost-per-watt values and improve the competitiveness of a particular TFPV technology for on-grid installations.

• For the most cost-sensitive and for indoor or shorter-lifetime applications, conductive polymer TCs can offer prospects for big reductions in cost, especially if high efficiency is not the most important factor for commercial success. Recent advancements in the conductivity of conductive polymer-based TCs, long a problem for these materials in the most demanding applications, make this argument more convincing.

• In the long-term, solution-processable nanomaterial-based TCs, such as those based on nanosilver, another nanoscale metallic coating, or carbon nanomaterials, make economic sense. Solution processing can be especially attractive for new PV lines where existing vapor deposition equipment is not already entrenched, and solution processable TCs will become an even bigger factor as the relative importance of flexible PV increases over the next decade.

• Finally, anticipated growth in the "premium" building-integrated PV (BIPV) market is opening up new opportunities for TC suppliers to expand or gain entry in a subsector of the PV market that is less cost-sensitive than the market as a whole.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications' website. View the report: Transparent Conductors in Thin Film and Organic Photovoltaics

Global Market for Plastics in Electronic Components to Reach 4.4 Billion Pounds in 2017

MONTREAL, Feb. 28, 2012 ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the availability of a new report entitled "Plastics in Electronics Components: Technologies and Global Markets".

According to a new technical market research report, the global volume for plastics in electronic components is expected to reach 3.5 billion pounds in 2012 and increase to 4.4 billion pounds in 2017, a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7%.

The global market for plastics in electronic components can be separated into two segments: thermoplastic and thermoset. In 2012, thermoplastics are expected to total nearly 2.5 billion pounds and, in 2017, the volume should reach 3.1 billion pounds, a CAGR of 4.9%.

The thermoset segment is projected to total nearly 1.1 billion pounds in 2012 and, by 2017, the segment should reach 1.3 billion pounds, a CAGR of 4.3%.

Resin consumption in electronic components is made up of a select group of engineering thermoplastics led by nylon and thermoplastic polyesters in volume. Based on value, however, higher performance resins such as polyphenylene sulfide, polyimides, polyketones, and liquid crystal polymers have become more significant factors in the market. Engineering thermoplastics dominate the molded electronic component segment, of which connectors are the most important.

The advantages of using plastics parts as opposed to other materials for electronic components must be weighed against their disadvantages. To decrease already small component sizes, melts used in molding components must possess excellent flow and precise molding, thermal endurance, and dimensional stability due to tight space constraints and relatively high operational temperatures.

While mechanical performance of plastics can be enhanced through reinforcements and filler loadings, higher amounts of these additives often impair processability in the molten state. A better resolution of this dilemma is still an ongoing issue.

There are quite a few resin producers heavily involved in the plastic electronic business and a selected list include some of the following: Ashland Specialties, BASF, Bayer Material Science, Chevron-Phillips Chemical, Cytec, DuPont, Huntsman Specialty Chemicals, Loctite (a unit of Henkel), Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics, Sabic IP, Solvay Advanced Polymers, Ticona, Toray, and Victrex.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications' website. View the report: Plastics in Electronics Components: Technologies and Global Markets