Growth Opportunities Abound for Innovative Composites.Business Editors LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2004 Innovative polymers and composites are dramatically broadening the range of applications and commercial production of thermoplastics. Made from both well-established and novel polymers, materials such as long glass-fibre reinforced thermoplastics, wood-plastic composites Wood-plastic composite is a composite material lumber or timber made of recycled plastic and wood wastes. There are also application in the market, which utilize only virgin raw materials. (WPC WPC (in Britain) woman police constable WPC (Brit) n abbr (= woman police constable) → Polizistin f WPC n abbr (BRIT ) and nanocomposites are experiencing high growth despite being relatively developmental markets. Nanocomposites are forecast to be the highest growth market, but from a rather small base. WPCs, on the other hand, are a profit-generating market in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. although their penetration in Europe is just beginning. Brian Balmer, Industry Analyst from Frost & Sullivan (http://chemicals.frost.com), explains, "The high cost and lack of a mass market has restrained the uptake of these materials thus far, but the WPC market is set to take hold in Europe and Asia as a growing number of extruders emulate the U.S. and adopt WPC in construction applications." Since Europe lacks a decking market, WPC technology uptake will take place in a different manner in comparison with the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Focus will be on specialized applications and intricate products such as window profiles, skirting boards skirting board Noun a narrow board round the bottom of an interior wall where it joins the floor Noun 1. skirting board - a molding covering the joint formed by a wall and the floor baseboard, mopboard and some furniture applications. Thermoplastic A polymer material that turns to liquid when heated and becomes solid when cooled. There are more than 40 types of thermoplastics, including acrylic, polypropylene, polycarbonate and polyethylene. composites are expected to replace metals and thermosets thermosets, materials that can not be softened on heating. In thermosetting polymers, the polymer chains are joined (or cross-linked) by intermolecular bonding. Thermosets are usually supplied as partially polymerized or as monomer-polymer mixtures. in numerous applications as they offer remarkable advantages over these traditional materials. Durable, light, environmentally-friendly and chemically stable, composites also offer a myriad of possibilities in terms of optimizing materials to suit applications. This adds further to their attractiveness. LFT LFT left frontotransverse (position of the fetus). LFT Liver function tests, see there is one of the fastest-growing plastics industry sectors and automotive applications account for over 95 percent of the worldwide demand. In Europe, an annual growth rate of 10-12 percent was observed during the period 1999-2002. "The automotive industry The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. In 2006, more than 69 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide. is the main driver for the European long fibre reinforced thermoplastic (LFT) market, which has been expanding faster than other LFT markets," notes Balmer. "New applications include under body panels, front-end modules, and door panels." Acceptance of nanocomposites has been relatively slow despite the initial promise of "a dream material for the 21st century." Nevertheless, the market is expected to pick up rapidly in the near future. While carbon nanofibres and nanotubes are currently under development, nanoclays are already finding applications in high barrier resins for food packaging and in some automotive applications. "Ongoing R&D efforts, growing demand for conductive conductive having the quality of readily conducting electric current. conductive flooring flooring or floor covering made specially conductive to electrical current, usually by the inclusion of copper wiring that is earthed compounds, miniaturization min·i·a·tur·ize tr.v. min·i·a·tur·ized, min·i·a·tur·iz·ing, min·i·a·tur·iz·es To plan or make on a greatly reduced scale. min of electronics parts, improvements in processing machinery and the development of new applications will open more avenues for these materials," adds Balmer. Continuous product improvement and innovation hold the key to the further development of innovative composites. As globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation and consolidation increase, developing new markets, both in terms of new end users and geographic expansion, is crucial. Lowering cost bases, speeding up innovation, and building expertise will help LFT suppliers to attract/retain automotive end users. Companies also need to enhance their customer services, and technical support. In the WPC market, participants are increasing marketing budgets to raise awareness and adhering to building industry standards to expand revenues. Licensing, formation of strategic partnerships, and acquisition can help new companies build market share. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , nanocomposites suppliers are focussing on developing new products through the compounding process. Efforts are on to toughened nylon nanocomposites for injection moulding and high-viscosity nanocomposites for blow moulding. Research is also on to advance polyolefin-based nanocomposites. If you are interested in a summary of this research service which provides industry participants an overview, summary, and challenges in the European Market for Innovations in Thermoplastic Composite Technology, then send an e-mail to Katja Feick, Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most Manager, at katja.feick@frost.com with the following information: Full name, Company Name, Title, Contact Tel Number, E-mail. Upon receipt of the above information, the summary will be e-mailed to you. Innovations in Thermoplastic Composite Technology B257 Frost & Sullivan, an international consultancy firm, has been supporting clients' growth for over four decades. Our market expertise covers a broad spectrum of industries, while our portfolio of advisory competencies includes strategic consultancy, market intelligence and management training. Our mission is to work with our clients' management teams to deliver market insights and to create value and drive growth through innovative approaches. Frost & Sullivan's network of more than 500 consultants, industry experts, corporate trainers and support staff, spans the globe with 19 offices worldwide. Free research extracts are available to the press. For unlimited access to constantly updated chemicals market news written exclusively by Frost & Sullivan's team of industry experts visit http://chemicals.frost.com. This research is available to purchase from: Frost & Sullivan, 4100 Chancellor Court, Oxford Business Park, Oxford, OX4 2GX, UK. Contact: Noel Anderson, +44 (0) 1865 398621 noel.anderson@frost.com |
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