Prospector X5 - Search Plastics Datasheets

Abstract-- Many high-performance plastics, often called engineering resins, are being challenged by lower cost resins with improved properties in many important applications such as electronics, packaging, medical and automotive.

The development of upgraded commodity thermoplastics is challenging established higher-performance resins in a variety of packaging applications.

A new BCC (Business Communications Company) report, P-236 Upgraded Commodity and Engineering Resins: The Competitive Scenario, quantifies this penetration led by polypropylenes, polyethylenes, and styrenics into the realm of materials such as nylons, polyesters (PET and PBT), polycarbonates and others. Many of the challengers comprise copolymers and/or metallocene-derived variants. Market estimates (2003) and forecasts (2008) will be provided for volumes of low cost resins replacing higher performance plastics in each of the major applications.

The report, estimates that the combined North American market for commodity thermoplastics and high-performance resins will reach 30 billion pounds by 2008, up 3.5 per cent from 2003 levels. But most significantly, the growth rate of upgraded commodity resins is likely to overtake established higher performance resins as technology improves.

For example, the projected average annual growth rate (AAGR) for high performance products - 3.3 per cent - is slightly lower than that for CTPs - 3.5 per cent. By 2008, use of CTPs - nearly 18 million pounds - will exceed high-performance resins - 12.6 million pounds - in high performance applications by 42 per cent.

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