ARTICLES
- With a focus on light-weighting and enhancing passenger comfort, the European automotive industry is at the forefront in terms of technological advancements. Home to the major global automotive manufacturers, Europe’s demand for plastics is projected to accelerate during the forecast period of 2012-2019. Use of plastics in automotive applications offers advantages such as decreased fuel consumption, weight reduction, environmental sustainability and enhanced design flexibility along with passenger safety features. Dynamics in the automotive plastics market centre around metal replacement opportunities in certain applications and the substitution of competing plastic compounds and reinforced and composite materials in different applications. Safety functionalities, life-saving accessories are accelerating the need for materials that offer increased design freedom, aid in light-weighting and deliver cost-competitiveness. Read more in Use of Performance Plastics in the European Automotive market to reach US$7.26 bln in 2019
- The global market is mainly driven by passenger car production and increasing utilization of automotive plastics in vehicle designs. The use of plastics in interior, exterior, and under bonnet components of automobiles help in weight reduction, improve aesthetics, vibration and noise control and cabin insulation. The properties of plastics such as easy moldability, recyclability, scratch resistance, high volume to weight resistance, thermal stability, impact strength and resistance to abrasion make them suitable for use in automobiles. Read more in Global automotive plastics market to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% to 2018
- Glass fiber reinforced plastic composites offer strength that is somewhat lower than carbon fiber, are less stiff and far less brittle, and much less expensive. Its bulk strength and weight properties are also very favorable when compared to metals, and it can be easily formed using molding processes. Globally. glass fiber accounts for about 90% of the reinforcements used in composite consumption. Most of the GFRP Composites are used in construction and transportation sectors, driven by demand for renewable energy, light-weight fuel efficient aircrafts & cars, GFRP pipe, tank and other corrosion resistant equipment. To know more about the growth sectors and applications; growth opportunities, drivers, challenges, the factors driving or inhibiting the growth of each segment, etc, read Global glass fiber reinforced plastic composites market to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% from 2014 to 2019
- With a capacity to absorb water or aqueous solution up to 50 times of its own weight, SAP crystals (super absorbent polymer) have numerous practical applications. Diapers and hygiene product manufacturers use super absorbent polymers as the solidification medium in their products. In agriculture they are used to increase the water absorption and water retention in soils located in regions subject to drought. Hospitals utilize them to solidify and dispose-off bio-hazardous waste in suction canisters. Oil companies utilize them to solidify the liquid waste byproducts of oil and gas drilling and mining. The demand for super absorbent polymer is increasing and will continue to increase as the disposable income of the individuals are increasing and population pyramids in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East, Africa. Read more in Diapers to drive growth in global Superabsorbent Polymer (SAP) Market till 2018
- Micro injection molding is usually done for the parts that are designed with weight less than a milligram and size less than 1mm. Use of this technique is not limited to only small parts but may be used for large products which require micro sized features such as thickness, diameter hole, etc. Polymer based, particularly thermoplastics based micro molded products are replacing silicones in almost all of the application areas. The main advantage of micro injection molding over micromachining is cost savings, reduced molding time, low cost raw materials compared to machining, high cost savings. Leading applications of micro molding are medical and healthcare applications, drive systems and controls, telecom fiber optics, automotive industry. Read more in Global market for microinjection polymer molding expected to cross US$897 mln by 2020
- Natural polymers are defined as polymeric products derived from plant and/or animal sources, including copolymers containing synthetic compounds such as cellulose ethers, starch and fermentation products, exudate and vegetable gums, protein-based polymers, marine polymers, and others. Increasing applications in non durable goods and shipments, food and beverages, and pharmaceutical shipments are expected to drive natural polymers demand in the U.S. over the next five years. Medical applications dominated the U.S. natural polymers market with 25.6% share of total revenue generated in 2012. Read more in US demand for natural polymers forecast to reach US$7.12 bln by 2018
