DUBLIN – The global market for flexible printed circuit boards is projected to reach $15.2 billion by 2020, driven by the growing focus of electronics manufacturers on performance and design flexibility.

Ranked among the fastest growing technology segments in the electronic interconnection market, flex PCBs have emerged as the preferred printed circuit board technology variant to address growing miniaturization, as well as superior functionality needs of electronics products, says ResearchandMarkets.com.

With electronics becoming smaller and more functional, the market is witnessing growing demand for flex PCBs for their ability to make electronic products smaller, smarter and cheaper. Used widely in cameras, laptops and smartphones, flex PCBs are finding expanded use in automobiles, medical devices, military systems and avionics, among others, says the research firm.

Technological advances in substrate and conductive materials, and developments in fabrication such as copper etching techniques are also helping drive growth in the market. With growing focus on improving capabilities such as better clock speeds, higher processing power and lower power usage, manufacturers are migrating toward the use of more complex board stack-ups.

Stretchable PCBs are emerging in the market with the promise of enabling reliable design of electronic wearables. An evolving segment of interconnection technology, stretchable PCBs are appealing to a growing number of electronic designers, as they feature resilient materials and enable contraction and expansion in line with user movements. The ability to these materials to conform to non-planar contours opens up tremendous opportunity of designing various innovative devices, according to ResearchandMarkets.com.

Asia-Pacific represents the largest market worldwide, supported by its dominance as the global hub for the production of electronic products. The region is also home to a majority of major flexible PCB producers. Asia-Pacific also ranks as the fastest growing market, with a CAGR of 6.7% from 2014 to 2020.

Register now for PCB West, the Silicon Valley's largest trade show for the printed circuit industry, taking place Sept. 13-15 in Santa Clara: PCBWEST.COM

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