Key insights from interviews with individual players, ranging from established players to innovative startups, are embedded across more than 30 detailed company profiles that include discussion of both technology and business model along with a SWOT analysis. Additionally, the report includes an analysis of the conductive ink parameter space based on a database of more than 100 conductive inks that includes curing time, conductivity, and viscosity. Along with segmenting the suppliers by ink type, this should help in getting a comprehensive picture of the global Conductive Ink market.
Types of conductive ink and applications covered in the report. Source: IDTechEx
Technical developments
Shell-based conductive inks are an old technology widely used to mine the top surface of photovoltaic panels for charge extraction. However, this market is unlikely to keep pace with the growth in photovoltaic panels, with new technologies being developed to reduce the amount of silver ink required. Instead, much of the growth will come from emerging applications across the printed flexible electronics space.
This expansion of application space creates opportunities for emerging conductive ink formulations that aim to meet specific application requirements:
- The particle-free conductive inks are mined on site, resulting in a smooth, thin conductive layer that is ideally suited for antennas and high-frequency EMI shielding. The extremely low viscosity also makes these inks ideally suited for high resolution deposition techniques such as aerosol printing.
- Conductive inks based on nanoparticles provide higher conductivity, enabling more compact circuit designs.
- Liquid metal gels make for a perfect stretchable ink because there is no increase in resistance over time – the conductive liquid flows to accommodate dimensional change. It mainly targets wearable stress sensors.
- Copper inks with additives that prevent oxidation during sintering. Those are gaining momentum, with major electronics manufacturers running requalification projects. Copper inks are particularly suitable when cost is the main driver, such as with smart packaging/RFID antennas.
Application opportunities
- Introduction to the application.
- Assessment of the technological and business situation.
- Conductive ink requirements for this specific application.
- Examples of conductive inks targeted for this application.
- Market forecasts, including adoption of different types of ink where applicable.
Given the potential for rapid growth and the requirement for specialized ink that enables differentiation, some of the most promising conductive ink applications are electronic skin patches, stress sensors, and in-mold electronics (IME).
prospects
Growth in printed/flexible/hybrid electronics, especially where they enable new applications and even business models, such as electronic skin patches for remote health monitoring and smart packaging, will drive the growth of the conductive ink market over the next decade. Moreover, many emerging applications, such as in-mold electronics, electronic textiles, and high-frequency antennas, have specific ink requirements that provide an opportunity for differentiation.
Key questions are answered in this report
- What kinds of conductive inks does each supplier produce?
- How will the rise in silver prices affect the conductive ink market?
- What are the requirements for each conductive ink application and how much ink is used in each application?
- What is the technological and market readiness for each conductive ink application?
- What are the key growth opportunities where there is room for differentiation?
- Who are the major players producing each type of ink?