Printed Electronics Market Size, Share, Opportunities, And Trends By Technology (Inkjet Printing, Flexographic Printing, Screen Printing, Gravure Printing, Others), By Material (Substrates, Inks), By Application (Industrial Applications, Displays, Lighting, Sensors, Others), And By Geography - Forecasts From 2024 To 2029

The printed electronics market is estimated to be worth US$17.468 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 16.33% and reaching a market size of US$37.220 billion by 2029.

The printing technique known as "printed electronics" is used to print on a variety of substrates to create electronic devices. Printing employs standard printing tools like screen printing, flexography, gravure, offset lithography, and inkjet that are appropriate for defining patterns on material. Printed electronics are related to organic or plastic electronics that use one or more inks made of carbon-based compounds. Electronic printing has evolved, and inkjet printers can print electrical circuits quickly and at less cost.

According to market demand, manufacturers integrate technology in a variety of products and then distribute or sell them to distributors or retailers. For developing regional markets such as those in Asia Pacific region, the large companies in the sector focus on distribution partnerships or mergers and acquisitions. For instance, Thin Film Electronics ASA (U.S.) has entered into a distribution agreement with CymMetrik, a Chinese company. The main objective of this agreement is to enhance sales especially in Asia Pacific region as well as China, Taiwan, India and others. Since printed electronics technology is highly needed on this continent owing to the modern ways applied in producing consumer electronics.

Printed Electronics Market Drivers:

• Increased applications of printed electronics is expected to increase the market demand

Printed electronics have a lot of applications due to advancing technology, like flexible screens, interactive books and posters, intelligent labels and packaging, and upholstery. This has made it easy to make electric components lightweight, cost-effective, and use flexible materials in conventional circuits. Printed electronics are used in applications like displays, industrial applications including RFID, batteries, packaging and consumer applications, sensors, and lighting. The cost advantage in fabricating roll-to-roll printing and flexible printed electronics is a major factor propelling the printed electronics market growth. Printed electronics have helped reduce environmental impact, energy consumption, and material wastage.

• Gravure printing is to grow substantially is anticipated to increase the market share

The printed electronics market is segmented by technology into Inkjet Printing, Flexographic Printing, Screen Printing, Gravure Printing, and others. Screen printing is best for fabricating electrics and electronics because it produces patterned, thick layers from paste-like materials. These advantages enhance industries' adoption of screen-printing technology. Gravure printing is applied to transform paper into a viable substrate for printing electronics. The large surface roughness and ink absorption of paper limit the printing of high-performance electronic devices onto paper. Gravure printing has overcome this by providing a local smoothing layer and printing organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). That demonstrates performance on par with the device on a plastic substrate.

• Sensors are expected to hold a notable market share

The printed electronic market is segmented by application into Industrial Applications, Displays, Lighting, Sensors, and others. The demand for thin and highly efficient displays required in different applications has increased the OLED and LED displays segment’s growth. Advancing technology in printed electronics is developing OLED displays that are thinner, rollable, and more efficient than OLED displays developed using traditional methods.  The growing sensor market, owing to recent technological advances and a decline in the cost of smartphones, diagnostic devices, and others, is expected to boost the sensor segment of the printed electronics market in the years ahead.

• Increasing demand for flexible and lightweight electronic devices

One of the main factors driving the market growth is consumers' shifting preference for flexible and lightweight electronics that can reduce weight and save costs. The ability to create innovative and contemporary devices is limited by the rigidity and bulk of conventional electronics. Because printed electronics can create flexible substrates that enable the creation of new designs, paradigms, and applications, the demand for printed electronics has increased even more. Furthermore, the market is expanding due to the increased demand for printed electronics in the wearables, consumer electronics, and healthcare sectors brought about by the growing awareness of their flexible properties.

Printed Electronics Market Restraints:

• Increasing cases of encapsulation

Regarding costs and the highest levels of difficulty, this is the longest and most expensive operational component of any flexible OLED display and light panel production process. This is because it requires functioning in an extensive range, making the production price higher for mass production. The high cost of manufacturing curved OLED displays is an advantage for companies like Samsung and LG Display, which use vapor deposition. The same challenge is expected to be shared with printed OLED displays, where the cost of encapsulation can be further increased due to vapor deposition. In the initial phase of OLED display manufacture, glass substrates will mainly be used for the application.

Printed Electronics Market Geographical Outlook

• The Asia Pacific is witnessing exponential growth during the forecast period

The growth of the printed electronics market in this region is mainly driven by the increasing popularity of advanced consumer electronics and the acceptance of innovative technologies. Australia, South Korea, China, Japan, and South Korea are major countries promoting the Asia Pacific’s printed electronics market growth. One of the factors driving this growth in the region is APAC's status as a center for electronic device and component manufacturing. The increasing investments in R&D associated with printed electronics and large-scale production of electronic components stimulate the printed electronics market share growth in APAC.

Printed Electronics Market Key Launches

• In February 2023, the global material technologies leader Henkel launched a differentiated sensor experience kit developed for various industries in IoT engineering. With the innovative Henkel Qhesive Solutions Sensor INKxperience Kit, four different printed electronics technologies, each pre-configured with hardware and software for ideation and prototyping in engineering, are available. This kit enables professional engineers to quickly and effectively explore and experiment with new opportunities printed electronics technology can offer for developing IOT sensor solutions.
• In October 2022, Voltera, the world's largest printed and electronic technology producer, unveiled Nova. Nova, the printing flexible hybrid electronics manufacturing platform, leans on direct-write technology for printing circuits on pliable, stretchable, and conformable surfaces. Of course, with the swirls of such inks on a wide set of substrates, one could prototype and debug those hybrid electronics with this innovative benchtop tool quickly and easily. Users can now experiment freely with what they want to test—whether custom inks or a wide range of substrates- and prototype and debug hybrid electronics quickly and easily with this innovative benchtop tool being swirled around.

The Printed Electronics market is segmented and analyzed as follows:

• By Technology
  • Inkjet Printing
  • Flexographic Printing
  • Screen Printing
  • Gravure Printing
  • Others
• By Material
  • Substrates
  • Inks
• By Application
  • Industrial Applications
  • Displays
  • Lighting
  • Sensors
  • Others
• By Geography
  • North America
    • U.S.
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • France
    • United Kingdom
    • Spain
    • Others
  • Middle East and Africa
    • Saudi Arabia
    • UAE
    • Others
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Japan
    • South Korea
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Thailand
    • Taiwan
    • Others