In-Mold Electronics is on the Brink of Large Scale Adoption Says New Global IDTechEx Research Report

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Jan 08, 2019, 11:00 ET

BOSTON, Jan. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The new global market report from IDTechEx Research, In-Mold Electronics 2019-2029: Technology, Market Forecasts, Players, provides technical assessment of manufacturing process and material requirements, market outlook for applications and players, study of competitive routes to 3D electronics and more.

In-mold electronics (IME) is a process of integrating printed decorations and electronic circuitry with thermoforming and molding. The results are 3D-shaped objects with embedded circuits of differing degrees of complexity. This is part of the global emerging trend to 3D structural electronics and the progression away from the rudimentary solution of components encased in a box.

The capacity to print electronic circuitry on a 2D substrate prior to converting this into a functional 3D part has many manufacturing and material challenges. In-Mold Electronics 2019-2029: Technology, Market Forecasts, Players covers the commercial and emerging solutions from the key players as this technology progresses from R&D to gaining high-volume end-user success.

IDTechEx has a long legacy in the field of printed electronics and has been analyzing the forefront of this field. The information for this new report is obtained through extensive interview-based technical primary research.

The advantages of IME are numerous and include: lightweighting, space-saving, robustness, accelerated time-to-market, and high throughput capabilities. However, the technology does not come without its drawbacks in: shape limitations, yield, software immaturity, environmental stability, and post-processing. These merits and hurdles are detailed within the report with upcoming solutions in the material-space for the functional inks, substrates, and adhesives facilitating this.

The prototypes have been diverse, ranging from simple devices for wearable technology, automotive light heating, antennas, and white goods touchpads to more complex sensors, actuators, and displays.

The commercial uptake of IME has a complex history with Ford embracing this technology for an automotive interior device, but the product had to be recalled. Despite this setback, the market is on the cusp of large adoption. Very large addressable markets are at different stages of adopting this technology with automotive interiors and touchpads for white goods providing the most significant volumes. IDTechEx forecast the market for IME devices to exceed $1.11bn by 2029.

IME is not the only technological solution to 3D electronics. Aerosol jet printing, Mold Interconnected Devices (including laser direct structuring, two-shot molding, and film inserting), and 3D printing electronics are all rapidly emerging and gaining traction. This report benchmarks these technologies and looks at some of the key players and latest advancements.

For more information, contact the IDTechEx Research team on [email protected] or see www.IDTechEx.com/ime.

Table of Contents for In-Mold Electronics 2019-2029: Technology, Market Forecasts, Players

1.	EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.1.	Introduction to in-mold electronics (IME)?
1.2.	Commercial advantages and challenges of IME
1.3.	The route to commercialisation
1.4.	Overview of key players across the supply chain
1.5.	IME market forecast - application
1.6.	Benchmarking competitive processes to 3D electronics
2.	MANUFACTURING IN-MOLD ELECTRONICS
2.1.	What is in-mold electronics (IME)?
2.2.	IME: 3D friendly process for circuit making
2.3.	What is the in-mold electronic process?
2.4.	Comments on requirements
3.	CONDUCTIVE INK REQUIREMENTS FOR IN-MOLD ELECTRONICS
3.1.	New ink requirements: stretchability
3.2.	Evolution and improvements in performance of stretchable conductive inks
3.3.	Performance of stretchable conductive inks
3.4.	Performance of stretchable conductive inks
3.5.	The role of particle size in stretchable inks
3.6.	The role of resin in stretchable inks
3.7.	New ink requirements: portfolio approach
3.8.	Diversity of material portfolio
3.9.	All materials in the stack must be compatible: conductivity perspective
3.10.	All materials in the stack must be compatible: forming perspective
3.11.	New ink requirements: surviving heat stress
3.12.	New ink requirements: stability
3.13.	All materials in the stack must be reliable
3.14.	Design: general observations
3.15.	SMD assembly: before or after forming
3.16.	The need for formable conductive adhesives
4.	EXPANDING RANGE OF FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
4.1.	Stretchable carbon nanotube transparent conducting films
4.2.	Prototype examples of carbon nanotube in-mold transparent conductive films
4.3.	Prototype examples of in-mold and stretchable PEDOT:PSS transparent conductive films
4.4.	In-mold and stretchable metal mesh transparent conductive films
4.5.	Other in-mold transparent conductive film technologies
4.6.	Beyond IME conductive inks: adhesives
5.	TOWARDS MORE COMPLEX DEVICES SUCH AS SENSORS, ACTUATORS AND DISPLAYS
5.1.	Beyond conductive inks: thermoformed polymeric actuator?
5.2.	Thermoformed 3D shaped reflective LCD display
5.3.	Thermoformed 3D shaped RGD AMOLED with LTPS
5.4.	Molding electronics in 3D shaped composites
6.	OVERVIEW OF APPLICATIONS, COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRESS, AND PROTOTYPES
6.1.	In-mold electronic application: automotive
6.2.	White goods, medical and industrial control (HMI)
6.3.	Is IME commercial yet?
6.4.	First (ALMOST) success story: overhead console in cars
6.5.	Commercial products: wearable technology
6.6.	Automotive: direct heating of headlamp plastic covers
6.7.	Automotive: human machine interfaces
6.8.	Automotive: human machine interfaces
6.9.	White goods: human machine interfaces
6.10.	Antennas
6.11.	Consumer electronics and home automation
7.	FUNCTIONAL MATERIAL SUPPLIERS
7.1.	In-mold electronics: emerging value chain
7.2.	Stretchable conductive ink suppliers multiply
7.3.	Stretchable conductive ink suppliers multiply
7.4.	IME conductive ink suppliers multiply
8.	COMPETING TECHNOLOGIES
9.	AEROSOL
9.1.	Printing directly on a 3D surface?
9.2.	Aerosol: how does it work?
9.3.	Aerosol deposition can go 3D
9.4.	Applications of aerosol
9.5.	Optomec: update on market leader
9.6.	Aerosol deposition is already in commercial use
9.7.	Nano ink challenges and directions of development for aerosol
10.	MOLDED INTERCONNECT DEVICES
10.1.	Three approaches to molded interconnect devices
11.	LASER DIRECT STRUCTURING
11.1.	Moulded Interconnect Devices: Laser Direct Structuring
11.2.	Applications of laser direct structuring
11.3.	LDS MID: characteristics
11.4.	LDS MID: material considerations
11.5.	LDS MID: Material considerations (II)
11.6.	LDS MID: Laser roughing
11.7.	Galvanic plating to the rescue?
11.8.	LDS MID: Ease of prototyping and combining 3D printing with LDS?
11.9.	Mass manufacturing the all-plastic-substrate paint?
11.10.	LDS MID application examples: antenna
11.11.	LDS MID application examples: insulin pump and diagnostic laser pen
11.12.	LDS MID application examples: automotive HMI
11.13.	LDS MID application examples: automotive HMI
11.14.	LDS MID in LED implementation
11.15.	MID challenges for LED integration
11.16.	Expanding LDS MID to non-plastic substrates?
11.17.	LDS MID 3D LED retrofit
11.18.	LDS MID in LED with improved heat dissipation
11.19.	LDS MID in sensors
11.20.	LDS MID: fine pitch capability
12.	TWO SHOT MOLDING
12.1.	Two shot molding: process description
12.2.	LDS MID application examples: insulin pump
12.3.	Comparing LDS and Two-Shot MID
13.	FILM INSERTION
13.1.	Transfer printing: printing test strips & using lamination to compete with IME
13.2.	IME with functional films made with evaporated lines
14.	'PRINTING' PCBS
14.1.	Printing PCBs: various approaches
14.2.	Single-/double-sided printed PCB
14.3.	Multi-layer printed PCB (NanoDimension)
14.4.	Multi-layer printed PCB (ChemBud)
15.	3D PRINTED ELECTRONICS
15.1.	The premise of 3D printed electronics
15.2.	Routes to 3D printing of structural electronics
15.3.	Approaches to 3D printed electronics
15.4.	Extrude conductive filament
15.5.	Extrude sensing filament
15.6.	Conductive plastics using graphene additives
15.7.	Conductive plastics using carbon nanotube additives
15.8.	Extrude molten solder
15.9.	Paste extrusion, dispensing or printing during 3D printing
15.10.	Ink requirements for 3D printed electronics
15.11.	3D printed with embedded metallization
15.12.	Benchmarking different processes (IME, MID, 3DP, aerosol)
16.	FORECASTS
16.1.	Forecast Methodology
16.2.	Ten-year in-mold-electronics market forecast in value
16.3.	Ten-year in-mold-electronics market forecast in area
16.4.	Estimate of value capture by different elements in an IME product
16.5.	Ten-year market forecasts for functional inks in in-mold-electronics
16.6.	Ten-year market forecasts for plastic substrates in IME
16.7.	Key observations from the MID market
17.	COMPANY PROFILES
17.1.	BotFactory
17.2.	Butler Technologies, Inc.
17.3.	Canatu
17.4.	CERADROP
17.5.	Dupont - In-mold electronics
17.6.	Lite-On Mobile
17.7.	MesoScribe Technologies
17.8.	Nagase America Corporation
17.9.	Nascent Objects, Inc
17.10.	nScrypt Inc
17.11.	Optomec
17.12.	Pulse Electronics
17.13.	TactoTek
17.14.	Tangio Printed Electronics
17.15.	Teijin Ltd
17.16.	Voxel8
18.	APPENDIX
18.1.	In-Mold Electronic market forecast data
18.2.	Functional ink and substrate for IME market forecast data