In-Mold Electronics is on the Brink of Large Scale Adoption Says New Global IDTechEx Research Report
BOSTON, Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The new global market report from IDTechEx Research, In-Mold Electronics 2019-2029: Technology, Market Forecasts, Players, provides technical assessment of manufacturing process and material requirements, market outlook for applications and players, study of competitive routes to 3D electronics and more.
In-mold electronics (IME) is a process of integrating printed decorations and electronic circuitry with thermoforming and molding. The results are 3D-shaped objects with embedded circuits of differing degrees of complexity. This is part of the global emerging trend to 3D structural electronics and the progression away from the rudimentary solution of components encased in a box.
The capacity to print electronic circuitry on a 2D substrate prior to converting this into a functional 3D part has many manufacturing and material challenges. In-Mold Electronics 2019-2029: Technology, Market Forecasts, Players covers the commercial and emerging solutions from the key players as this technology progresses from R&D to gaining high-volume end-user success.
IDTechEx has a long legacy in the field of printed electronics and has been analyzing the forefront of this field. The information for this new report is obtained through extensive interview-based technical primary research.
The advantages of IME are numerous and include: lightweighting, space-saving, robustness, accelerated time-to-market, and high throughput capabilities. However, the technology does not come without its drawbacks in: shape limitations, yield, software immaturity, environmental stability, and post-processing. These merits and hurdles are detailed within the report with upcoming solutions in the material-space for the functional inks, substrates, and adhesives facilitating this.
The prototypes have been diverse, ranging from simple devices for wearable technology, automotive light heating, antennas, and white goods touchpads to more complex sensors, actuators, and displays.
The commercial uptake of IME has a complex history with Ford embracing this technology for an automotive interior device, but the product had to be recalled. Despite this setback, the market is on the cusp of large adoption. Very large addressable markets are at different stages of adopting this technology with automotive interiors and touchpads for white goods providing the most significant volumes. IDTechEx forecast the market for IME devices to exceed $1.11bn by 2029.
IME is not the only technological solution to 3D electronics. Aerosol jet printing, Mold Interconnected Devices (including laser direct structuring, two-shot molding, and film inserting), and 3D printing electronics are all rapidly emerging and gaining traction. This report benchmarks these technologies and looks at some of the key players and latest advancements.
For more information, contact the IDTechEx Research team on research@IDTechEx.com or see www.IDTechEx.com/ime.
Table of Contents for In-Mold Electronics 2019-2029: Technology, Market Forecasts, Players
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1. Introduction to in-mold electronics (IME)? 1.2. Commercial advantages and challenges of IME 1.3. The route to commercialisation 1.4. Overview of key players across the supply chain 1.5. IME market forecast - application 1.6. Benchmarking competitive processes to 3D electronics 2. MANUFACTURING IN-MOLD ELECTRONICS 2.1. What is in-mold electronics (IME)? 2.2. IME: 3D friendly process for circuit making 2.3. What is the in-mold electronic process? 2.4. Comments on requirements 3. CONDUCTIVE INK REQUIREMENTS FOR IN-MOLD ELECTRONICS 3.1. New ink requirements: stretchability 3.2. Evolution and improvements in performance of stretchable conductive inks 3.3. Performance of stretchable conductive inks 3.4. Performance of stretchable conductive inks 3.5. The role of particle size in stretchable inks 3.6. The role of resin in stretchable inks 3.7. New ink requirements: portfolio approach 3.8. Diversity of material portfolio 3.9. All materials in the stack must be compatible: conductivity perspective 3.10. All materials in the stack must be compatible: forming perspective 3.11. New ink requirements: surviving heat stress 3.12. New ink requirements: stability 3.13. All materials in the stack must be reliable 3.14. Design: general observations 3.15. SMD assembly: before or after forming 3.16. The need for formable conductive adhesives 4. EXPANDING RANGE OF FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS 4.1. Stretchable carbon nanotube transparent conducting films 4.2. Prototype examples of carbon nanotube in-mold transparent conductive films 4.3. Prototype examples of in-mold and stretchable PEDOT:PSS transparent conductive films 4.4. In-mold and stretchable metal mesh transparent conductive films 4.5. Other in-mold transparent conductive film technologies 4.6. Beyond IME conductive inks: adhesives 5. TOWARDS MORE COMPLEX DEVICES SUCH AS SENSORS, ACTUATORS AND DISPLAYS 5.1. Beyond conductive inks: thermoformed polymeric actuator? 5.2. Thermoformed 3D shaped reflective LCD display 5.3. Thermoformed 3D shaped RGD AMOLED with LTPS 5.4. Molding electronics in 3D shaped composites 6. OVERVIEW OF APPLICATIONS, COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRESS, AND PROTOTYPES 6.1. In-mold electronic application: automotive 6.2. White goods, medical and industrial control (HMI) 6.3. Is IME commercial yet? 6.4. First (ALMOST) success story: overhead console in cars 6.5. Commercial products: wearable technology 6.6. Automotive: direct heating of headlamp plastic covers 6.7. Automotive: human machine interfaces 6.8. Automotive: human machine interfaces 6.9. White goods: human machine interfaces 6.10. Antennas 6.11. Consumer electronics and home automation 7. FUNCTIONAL MATERIAL SUPPLIERS 7.1. In-mold electronics: emerging value chain 7.2. Stretchable conductive ink suppliers multiply 7.3. Stretchable conductive ink suppliers multiply 7.4. IME conductive ink suppliers multiply 8. COMPETING TECHNOLOGIES 9. AEROSOL 9.1. Printing directly on a 3D surface? 9.2. Aerosol: how does it work? 9.3. Aerosol deposition can go 3D 9.4. Applications of aerosol 9.5. Optomec: update on market leader 9.6. Aerosol deposition is already in commercial use 9.7. Nano ink challenges and directions of development for aerosol 10. MOLDED INTERCONNECT DEVICES 10.1. Three approaches to molded interconnect devices 11. LASER DIRECT STRUCTURING 11.1. Moulded Interconnect Devices: Laser Direct Structuring 11.2. Applications of laser direct structuring 11.3. LDS MID: characteristics 11.4. LDS MID: material considerations 11.5. LDS MID: Material considerations (II) 11.6. LDS MID: Laser roughing 11.7. Galvanic plating to the rescue? 11.8. LDS MID: Ease of prototyping and combining 3D printing with LDS? 11.9. Mass manufacturing the all-plastic-substrate paint? 11.10. LDS MID application examples: antenna 11.11. LDS MID application examples: insulin pump and diagnostic laser pen 11.12. LDS MID application examples: automotive HMI 11.13. LDS MID application examples: automotive HMI 11.14. LDS MID in LED implementation 11.15. MID challenges for LED integration 11.16. Expanding LDS MID to non-plastic substrates? 11.17. LDS MID 3D LED retrofit 11.18. LDS MID in LED with improved heat dissipation 11.19. LDS MID in sensors 11.20. LDS MID: fine pitch capability 12. TWO SHOT MOLDING 12.1. Two shot molding: process description 12.2. LDS MID application examples: insulin pump 12.3. Comparing LDS and Two-Shot MID 13. FILM INSERTION 13.1. Transfer printing: printing test strips & using lamination to compete with IME 13.2. IME with functional films made with evaporated lines 14. 'PRINTING' PCBS 14.1. Printing PCBs: various approaches 14.2. Single-/double-sided printed PCB 14.3. Multi-layer printed PCB (NanoDimension) 14.4. Multi-layer printed PCB (ChemBud) 15. 3D PRINTED ELECTRONICS 15.1. The premise of 3D printed electronics 15.2. Routes to 3D printing of structural electronics 15.3. Approaches to 3D printed electronics 15.4. Extrude conductive filament 15.5. Extrude sensing filament 15.6. Conductive plastics using graphene additives 15.7. Conductive plastics using carbon nanotube additives 15.8. Extrude molten solder 15.9. Paste extrusion, dispensing or printing during 3D printing 15.10. Ink requirements for 3D printed electronics 15.11. 3D printed with embedded metallization 15.12. Benchmarking different processes (IME, MID, 3DP, aerosol) 16. FORECASTS 16.1. Forecast Methodology 16.2. Ten-year in-mold-electronics market forecast in value 16.3. Ten-year in-mold-electronics market forecast in area 16.4. Estimate of value capture by different elements in an IME product 16.5. Ten-year market forecasts for functional inks in in-mold- electronics 16.6. Ten-year market forecasts for plastic substrates in IME 16.7. Key observations from the MID market 17. COMPANY PROFILES 17.1. BotFactory 17.2. Butler Technologies, Inc. 17.3. Canatu 17.4. CERADROP 17.5. Dupont - In-mold electronics 17.6. Lite-On Mobile 17.7. MesoScribe Technologies 17.8. Nagase America Corporation 17.9. Nascent Objects, Inc 17.10. nScrypt Inc 17.11. Optomec 17.12. Pulse Electronics 17.13. TactoTek 17.14. Tangio Printed Electronics 17.15. Teijin Ltd 17.16. Voxel8 18. APPENDIX 18.1. In-Mold Electronic market forecast data 18.2. Functional ink and substrate for IME market forecast data
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Charlotte Martin
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c.martin@IDTechEx.com
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Related Links
Printed Electronics Europe 2019
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