Advanced Materials

Since 2014, there has been a surge in investment into companies engaging in the 3D printing of composites, with almost $250 million raised to date. The latest report from IDTechEx "3D Printing Composites 2020-2030: Technology and Market Analysis" authored by Dr Bryony Core and Dr Richard Collins examines the key trends and innovations in this emerging technology.

With just over a month to go until Graphene & 2D Materials USA 2019, IDTechEx's Senior Technology Analyst, Dr Richard Collins caught up with Dr Bor Jang of Global Graphene Group to hear his thoughts on graphene manufacturing and the opportunity for Graphene.

Within the field of 3D printing, there is increasing emphasis on functionality as the industry shifts away from the stereotype of rapid prototyping, and materials are not exempt from such scrutiny. For instance metals such as titanium with excellent tensile strength and low density are ideal for lightweighting applications, and as such demand for these materials is continually increasing. However, for certain applications, metals are not sufficiently lightweight enough, which is where composites come into play. The latest report from IDTechEx, "3D Printing Composites 2020-2030: Technology and Market Analysis", authored by Dr Bryony Core and Dr Richard Collins examines the key trends and innovations in this emerging technology.

The conductive ink market is extremely diverse. This diversity has given this market long-term resilience, allowing it to sustain a growing application pipeline over multiple decades. Indeed, the industry has reinvented and rejuvenated itself multiple times as the application mix has been altered. Today, conductive inks find use in all manners of applications, as described in our report "Conductive Ink Markets 2019-2029: Forecasts, Technologies, Players."

Quantum dots (QD) are a success story in displays. The current incumbent mode of integration is film type (enhancement film). The value chain for this is well-established. The technology can be integrated in large displays (TVs) from 27" to 98". This article provides a brief look at multiple key applications.

Biobased polymers are gaining increased prominence in the minds of consumers, as increased awareness of climate change and plastic pollution continues to grow. However, the range of biobased alternatives to the main plastics we encounter in our daily lives continues to limit its potential adoption. Key to accelerating the switch from petrochemical to biobased plastics is going to be a larger diversity of materials, including commodity polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene. IDTechEx looks at the key manufacturers of biobased polymers and production methods and capacities, in their report, "Biobased Polymers 2018-2023: A Technology and Market Perspective".

Global awareness of climate change and pollution is increasing, but finding ways to halt our dependence on fossil fuels and plastics is proving extremely difficult. One possible solution is to shift away from petrochemicals towards a biobased feedstock to make plastics, but how realistic is this proposal? IDTechEx uncovers the factors influencing adoption of biobased polymers in their report, "Biobased Polymers 2018-2023: A Technology and Market Perspective".

Flexible and foldable high-performance barrier or encapsulation technology had long represented a technology challenge. The industry spent a decade and a half optimizing the approaches and the processes to achieve large-area production-grade results. The development however has not ended. Indeed, the commercial journey towards flexible and foldable devices is only just beginning. As such, the development of flexible barrier technologies still has far to travel.

The evolution of diode laser price and performance is rapidly opening new markets. In this article, the technology consulting firm IDTechEx demonstrate how advances in semiconductor laser technology enable novel applications in laser material processing and industrial manufacturing.

Every year IDTechEx Research publishes an article that reflects the latest trends in the conductive ink industry. These articles are based on IDTechEx Research's report "Conductive Ink Markets 2019-2029: Forecasts, Technologies, Players", which is the result of ongoing research over the past eight years. This year IDTechEx will give an update on multiple less mature trends which offer high growth potential.