A vital part of everyday life, packaging solutions have evolved immensely over the past few decades. One innovation that has given the packaging industry a much needed “facelift” is the introduction of anti-static bags. Made from PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), anti-static bags have excellent shielding properties and are therefore the best packaging option for sensitive products and components. Anti-static bags are available in the form of bubble bags, polybags, and foam and stretch wraps, and the anti-static packaging market has grown immensely. According to analysts at Technavio, the market will register a CAGR of around 8% by 2020.
As anti-static packaging reduces the static charge between material surfaces, it is the best solution for electronics, gaming, digital signage and industrial packaging. Here are some of the major factors driving the anti-static packaging market at the global level:
Adoption of technology by automotive industry
The automotive industry is one sector that has increasingly turned to technology to enhance its functionalities. Semiconductors and ICs (integrated circuits) are being used in automobiles for enhanced features such as infotainment, automated driving, collision detection technology, and anti-braking systems. The increased use of semiconductors and ICs has led to increased demand for semiconductor wafers.
Miniaturization of electronic devices
Electronic devices, especially those that are highly mobile, have gained extreme popularity. OEMs are aggressively investing in R&D for the purpose of creating mobile electronic devices that are easy to carry, are small in size and light in weight. One of the ways in which these qualities can be achieved is through the miniaturization of semiconductor ICs. Although miniature semiconductor ICs make electronic devices compact and user-friendly, the one major issue they face is tribocharging.
Simply put, tribocharging occurs when an object becomes electrically charged as a result of the friction created by contact with another material. As the triboeffect cannot be predicted, it becomes essential that products are covered with anti-static materials in order to reduce the level of friction. It is in this context that a high demand for anti-static material and packaging solutions has emerged. Anti-static packaging technologies like WLP, SiP and flip-chip ensure high system density and improved performance in miniaturized packages, thereby increasing the life of the product and making the electronic device more user-friendly.
High demand for smart devices and increasingly shorter life cycle of electronic products
The demand for smart devices such as smart phones, smart televisions and smart wearables has grown at an immense pace at the global level. These smart devices have several ICs integrated together along with high-density circuits that require anti-static packaging. Recently, in countries like India and China where the demand for lower-end smartphones is on the rise, anti-static packaging has been adopted on a large scale.
Global Smartphone Sales 2007-2015 (million units)
Source: Technavio
Along with increasing demand for smart devices, the life cycles of electronic devices have decreased drastically. In 2004, around 7% devices were replaced, while 2013 saw this figure rise to 13%, and since then the number has been increasing at a steady rate. In order to develop new products of the highest quality, OEMs are acquiring high-performance electronic products that are compact, scalable, and flexible enough to allow design changes with minimal investments.
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