According to a new technical market research report, Printed Electronics: The Global Market (IFT066B) from BCC Research, the global market for printed electronics was valued at nearly $3.5 billion in 2011 and is expected to increase to $12.6 billion in 2016, a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.4%.
The market for printed electronics can be broken down into five segments: optoelectronics, energy, sensors, radio frequency, and other. The optoelectronics segment accounted for nearly $2.3 billion in 2011 and is expected to increase at a CAGR of 31.6% to reach $8.9 billion in 2016. The energy segment accounted for $525 million in 2011 and is expected to increase at a CAGR of 22.8% to reach nearly $1.5 billion in 2016. The segment made up of sensors, worth $145 million in 2011, is projected to experience a CAGR of 40.4% to reach a value of nearly $794 million in 2016. The radio frequency segment was valued at $35.3 million in 2011 and should reach nearly $152 million in 2016, a CAGR of 33.9%. The other segment was worth $518 million in 2011 and, by 2016, should be worth nearly $1.3 billion, a CAGR of 20%.
Printed electronics represent a growing technology for fabricating electronic devices on materials such as paper, plastic, and textiles using electrically functional inks in combination with standard printing processes such as screen printing, offset lithography, and ink-jet printing. Printed electronics are steadily proving that they have the potential to bring about a revolution in electronic applications.
Today, the potentially revolutionary character of printed electronics lies not only in its low cost, ease of manufacturing, and small size and light weight. It also lies in the ability of printed electronics to facilitate applications that are not feasible or are uneconomical with conventional silicon-based electronics. Flexible displays, smart labels, and animated signage are examples of such applications. Therefore, printed electronics has not only enhanced existing markets but is also creating new market opportunities.
This report is intended especially for executives, entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, and other readers who need to know where the market for printed electronics is headed in the next five years. The report is written primarily for lay readers rather than technologists, but it should also be useful to readers in the research-and-development community who seek to anticipate future flows in R&D funding.