The rapid advances in the electrical/electronic (E/E) industry are spurring numerous advancements in plastics that can match the growing complexities of electronic devices. With the latest range of plastics moving beyond insulation to offer exceptional conductivity, its use in electronics is set to increase significantly.
"The E/E market is the world's third-largest plastics end-user segment, following packaging and building/construction," said Technical Insights senior research analyst Donald V. Rosato. "This segment consumes approximately 27 billion pounds of total plastics usage globally, with the demand for conductive electronic polymer products forecast to expand by 14.5 percent per year until 2008."
The use of microcontroller and sensor technologies coupled with the demand for wireless connectivity and in-car entertainment is continuously expanding the use of plastics in automotive electronics. In the consumer electronics market, digital electronic devices, including networking and information appliances, combined with the shift toward IP-enabled devices are compelling researchers to develop a versatile range of plastics.
Inherently conductive polymers, nanocomposite plastic materials, advanced engineering plastics and other highly sophisticated materials are already proving to be highly popular in a variety of automotive and digital consumer electronics.
Depending on the electronic component or device, designers choose the plastics for their rigidity or flexibility, durability, resistance to low or high voltage, and electrical insulation or conductive qualities. Ease of fabrication, mechanical properties, temperature resistance and flame retardant capabilities are some of the other important factors.
The current move toward the miniaturization of electronic components and circuit boards such as computer chips is a key element that researchers need to keep in mind while developing new plastic materials.
"Compact and complex printed circuit boards with rising operating temperatures are driving the need for plastics with superior thermal management capabilities," said Rosato. "New resins, additives and fillers that accommodate higher temperatures and meet the thin-wall requirements are proving to be extremely popular."
Compounds made of high-temperature thermoplastics such as liquid crystal polymer and polyethersulfone used in molded interconnect devices and low-k dielectric polymers in semiconductor fabrication are also set to witness strong growth.
In the future, the European Union's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directives that restrict the use of certain hazardous materials are likely to have a significant impact on the plastic materials used in the production of E/E devices.
For example, the RoHS directive that favors lead-free soldering necessitates the use of plastic materials in electronic devices that can withstand higher soldering temperatures. This is approximately 20 to 30 degrees Celsius hotter when compared to the temperatures used in lead-containing soldering.
Such thermal challenges are directing much research efforts toward creating more efficient heat sinks that help cool the semiconductors. While aluminum and copper account for much of the materials used to develop heat sinks for electronics, thermally conductive thermoplastics are offering some interesting alternatives.
If you are interested in an analysis, which provides manufacturers, end-users and other industry participants with an overview, summary, challenges and latest coverage of Advances in Plastics for Electronic Devices, send an e-mail to trisha.bradley@frost.com with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, fax number and e- mail address.
Advances in Plastics for Electronic Devices, a part of the Technical Insights - Chemicals and Materials Subscription, provides a technology overview and outlook for the plastics used in innovative electronics and electronic devices. The study covers advanced plastics in electronic technologies and applications in the areas of automotive electronics, consumer products electronics and industrial device electronics. Further, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.
Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters and research services. For more information, visit http://www.technicalinsights.frost.com. Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1,000 companies, emerging companies and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics and demographics.