The world market for flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs) is projected to exceed US$ 16 billion by the year 2015. Reasons such as rapid technological changes, increasing miniaturisation, complexity and the portability needs of electronic products in various sectors, such as telecommunications, industrial packaging, medical and automotive, are being attributed for the increased global demand for flexible circuits.
Due to the increasing global demand for mobile phones in recent years, the demand for flexible circuits has also increased. Physical characteristics such as less thickness, lower weight, and the ability to take any form, besides reliability and functionality, are driving their use in various innovative end-use applications. Thus, the demand for flexible circuits is expected to be robust from markets such as defence and aerospace, telecommunications, automobiles and the industrial sector.
Japan is the second largest market for flexible PCBs and the Asia-Pacific region represents the fastest growing market worldwide for this product.