The sudden, violent death of optical media is one of the key factors impacting The Polycarbonate Market worldwide.
While the Global Polycarbonate Market is still posting a CAGR of more than 5 percent from now through 2018, major declines in optical media use are acting as significant hurdles to the industry. The optical media industry was a major end-user of polycarbonates between 1996 and 2005, when formats such as CDs, DVDs and CD-ROMs (seriously though, who even remembers these? Bueller?) were the industry norm.
However, just as video killed the radio star, digital and USB-based devices are stealing the thunder—and consumers—from older formats. Because of this, major polycarbonate players are having to re-jig their strategies to target other industries with a stake in the market.
Luckily for polycarbonate manufacturers, the adaptability and durability of thermoplastic polymers is still keeping them in relatively high demand for use in a whole raft of products, including electrical and electronic components, automobiles, and housewares. As they are less expensive than similar materials such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polycarbonates are preferred across a huge variety of industries, as illustrated below.
One industry that has picked up the polycarbonate slack from the flagging optical media market is the Automotive industry. Over the years, there has been an increase in the use of engineering resins in the manufacture of automobiles, and polycarbonates are now used in various automobile components such as instrument panels, center consoles, door panels, roof components, rear windshield glazing, wheel covers, door handles, interior trims, headlight lenses and housings, and bumpers.
However, use of even higher-performance plastics could spell trouble for the market. Industry heavyweight Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) recently announced the development of “a new grade of high-performance, high transparency bio-based engineering plastic” for use in touch panels in automobiles. The new plastic has a leg up on polycarbonates, according to a release from MCC. It addresses light transmission distortion issues, which can make it difficult to users to see touch panels.
“MCC’s new grade of DURABIO™ features excellent optical properties, and nearly eliminates distortion in light transmission, making it easy to see the touch panel surface,” states the release.
The global polycarbonate market has had to put consistent effort into R&D and innovation in order to promote modest growth. Large vendors such as Bayer MaterialScience have increased their R&D expenditure in order to remain competitive in the market. For instance, Bayer has introduced 100 percent recyclable polycarbonates under its flagship brand Makrolon, thereby contributing to sustainability goals. Innovations like this will help the polycarbonate market maintain growth and cope with constant industry changes.
For more insights, including market outlooks, growth drivers and challenges, please view our Global Polycarbonate Market 2014-2018 report.
You might also be interested in:
- Global Specialty Chemicals Market 2014-2018
- Global Marine Coatings Market 2014-2018
- Global Marine Composites Market 2014-2018
