As more and more companies are gearing up and demonstrating flexible display prototypes the need for protection of these new devices that are freed from the constraints of conventional rigid form factors is highlighted once more.

LCD panel makers in Taiwan, Japan and Korea have been suffering. Despite the growing demand for LCDs the high number of panel makers and new competition from China has resulted in tough price competition for panel makers, to the point that many panel makers are no longer profitable.

On April 17-18, the Printed Electronics Europe conference and exhibition in Berlin, Germany, will feature "Manufacturing Street" - a live, multi-technology, printed electronics demonstration.

The once rising price of indium generated an emerging TCF (Transparent Conductive Film) industry offering alternatives to ITO (indium tin oxide). The same is now happening with silver.

In this article, we look at other aspects of what will and will not happen with electric vehicles land, water and air in 2013, whether they are hybrid or pure electric.

This article shares some of the research in the newly updated IDTechEx report, "Stretchable Electronics Comes to Market."

The second and final day of Printed Electronics USA in Santa Clara really illustrated how far the technologies had progressed and the huge variety of players in the field. The event, organized by IDTechEx, was the best and biggest edition of the series so far. Amongst the attendees were company founders, directors, engineers, academics, but also students and patent attorneys. In particular, there were a large number of end users attending the show.

New drivers are opening up new frontiers in the display industry, resulting in technological innovation and the expansion and diversification of the market. This article summaries some of these recent developments and research from IDTechEx's brand new report "Metal Oxide TFT Backplanes for Displays 2013-2018: Analysis, Trends, Markets."

Leading designers of printed electronics collaborate on printed electronic demonstration give-a-way

The IDTechEx report The Market for Gold Inks 2013-2019 is looking to identify and assess the opportunities for a printable nano-gold ink, excluding its use in graphic arts applications (where it could be used for both its graphic arts benefits in addition to being used as a functional component in a circuit, such as printed touch switches, are taken into account).

Graphene promises to offer excellent material properties in almost all applications. Its extraordinary performance has led many to call it the 'superlative' or 'wonder' material. However, the reality is different.

As more and more flexible devices are becoming available, the need for better performing barriers and encapsulation materials at lower cost points intensifies.

Today, only one type of film - Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) - is used for almost all transparent conductive films with a market size of over $2 billion this year.

Conductive inks are a simple and unglamorous layer but they will constitute a hefty $2.86 billion market in 2012.

At the forthcoming event, Printed Electronics and Photovoltaics Europe 3-4 April in Berlin, one third of the 94 presentations and masterclasses primarily concern organic compounds but two thirds primarily concern inorganic and composite devices. The organisers did not steer it that way: the customers did.

This includes devices not yet printed today but which are moving towards being printed. Of this market, 30% of the devices studied are made predominately by printing, and 6% are on a non-rigid substrate.

Electronics and electrics on or in paper is being used for security, safety, crime prevention, brand enhancement and merchandising.

This article shares some of the research carried out for the new IDTechEx report, {{RFID in Russia, CIS, Baltic States 2012-2022| http://www.idtechex.com/research/reports/rfid-in-russia-cis-baltic-states-2012-2022-000285.asp}}.

According to IDTechEx research in the new report "Brand Enhancement by Electronics in Packaging 2012-2022" the global demand for electronic smart packaging devices is currently at a tipping point and will grow rapidly from $0.03 billion in 2012 to $1.7 billion in 2022. The electronic packaging (e-packaging) market will remain primarily in consumer packaged goods CPG reaching 35 billion units that have electronic functionality in 2022.

This year's Printed Electronics USA will take place in Santa Clara on November 30 and December 1. Analysts IDTechEx who organise the largest event on the subject, have paid a lot of attention once more to the end user streams. Their presence and contributions to the latest instalment of the successful series of events will be appropriate to the new direction of this burgeoning industry.