Replacement of metal parts to drive demand for engineering plastics in USA

The demand for engineering plastics in the US is expected to rise 2.6 % pa to 5.1 bln lbs in 2019. The replacement of metal parts with engineering plastics as well as new technological advancements that allow engineering plastics to penetrate new applications will continue to drive growth, as pe Freedonia industry study. Engineering plastics will continue to replace metal parts in new applications. However, increased demand for engineering plastics will be hampered by weak growth in mature markets as well as increasing competition from lower cost commodity resins. The largest markets for engineering plastics will continue to be the motor vehicle, electrical and electronic markets. The motor vehicle market will increasingly rely on engineering plastics to reduce vehicle weight in order to improve fuel efficiency. However, the construction and the medical and consumer markets will provide the fastest growth. A significant rebound in construction activity is projected to occur and will provide opportunities for engineering plastics, especially in applications such as lighting, window glazing, and skylights for non-residential buildings. Medical applications will continue to drive growth going forward because of engineering plastic resins’ mechanical strength, ability to withstand sterilizing processes, and compatibility with the human body. Nylon, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), and polycarbonate will continue to be the three largest engineering plastics by volume, accounting for three-quarters of the total demand in 2019. Nylon will post the most rapid increases of the three and will remain the largest engineering plastic. This growth will be driven mainly by nylon supplanting metals in underhood motor vehicle applications. Gains for ABS will be the slowest of all engineering plastics, restrained by competition from lower-cost resins and maturity in major applications. Polycarbonate will benefit from strong growth in the construction and the medical and consumer markets, but overall will track the industry average due to the continued decline in CD and DVD sales. Smaller-volume engineering plastics such as polyphenylene sulfide, sulfone polymers, fluoropolymers, and poly-ketones will exhibit the fastest growth. Specialized use in mature markets, as well as utilization in new products such as advanced batteries, photovoltaic modules, and medical implants, will drive overall demand. These resins will see greater use in electrical and electronic and motor vehicle markets, where they are typically used to fill specific high-temperature needs and their greater cost can be economically justified.