Printed Electronics is one of the fastest growing technologies in the world. It is of vital interest to industries as diverse as consumer goods, healthcare, mobility, electronics, media and architecture.
It is allowing electronics to be used in places it has never been before - creating new products; and it is improving existing electronics and electrics, by either replacing some components or films with cheaper, more robust, higher performance alternatives, or completely replacing existing devices, such as OLED displays replacing LCD displays.
Applications offer significant opportunity for non-commodity high value chemicals, manufacture equipment and electronic and electrical components. Companies in commodity products have the opportunity to offer high value products such as substrates, barriers, or electronics-enabled products to new customers. Over 3,000 organizations are pursuing this opportunity including printing, electronics, materials and packaging companies.
The sector comprises of a diverse range of enabling technologies at different stages of commercialization. It has created several multi-billion dollar industries within the past few years (OLED displays, e-readers and conductive ink for many diverse applications). There are many components and materials which have yet to be commercialized but they are progressing from labs to production. Inevitably, some will fail.
The benefits of these new electronics are numerous - ranging from lower cost, improved performance, flexibility, transparency, stretchability, reliability, better environmental credentials and much more.