fantastic plastic

NanoMarkets predictions for the OLED and e-paper, smart packaging, and thin-film photovoltaics industries:

Markets for OLED and Paper-Like Displays to Total $10.2 Billion by 2011:

• combined sales of OLED displays and paper-like displays will reach $10.2 billion by 2011 and then go on to reach $14.7 billion by 2013.
• shelf-edge displays will be the biggest opportunity for the paper-like display business in the next few years, generating $1.2 billion in annual revenues by 2011.
• OLED televisions will reach $2.2 billion in revenues in 2011
• by 2011, flexible displays will account for $1.7 billion in revenues.

Smart Packaging Market to Reach $4.8 billion by 2011:

• The global smart packaging market will grow to $4.8 billion in 2011 and reach $14.1 billion in 2013
• Smart packaging will account for over $1.1 billion in printable electronics components by 2011 growing to $4.2 billion in 2013
• Smart packaging will also consume $1.1 billion in printable and chip-based RFID tags by 2011

Thin Film and Organic Photovoltaic Market To Reach $2.3 Billion ($US) in 2011:

• Integrated building and construction products such as PV enabled roofing and window materials are projected to be the largest market opportunity measuring $800 million ($US) in 2011 with large project and consumer electronic products the second and third largest market opportunities.
• On the materials front, amorphous silicon, the best established of the various thin-film PV materials, will represent an $800 million ($US) opportunity followed by organic and hybrid organic/inorganic materials and then CIS/CIGS.
• Thin film/organic PV is also generating buzz in the industry and several companies have received large VC rounds. Major multinationals are also supporting this technology as Honda has announced it will soon start full-scale production of thin film PV and Shell has just sold off its conventional PV business to focus on thin film. On the other hand, NanoMarkets points out that thin film and organic PV is also a technology space that has received its fair share of hype and controversy with competing claims by different manufacturers on where and how it can be applied and disputes over conversion efficiencies and costs per watt.

As reported here, the UK start-up Novalia

expects to launch its patented electronic card game by the end of 2006.
Printed electronics company Novalia is in advanced discussions with a printing company to produce the electronics on the cards. […]
Stone [Nick Stone, founder of Novalia] says that it is likely Novalia will be working with packaging companies and other end users within the next year and use the same technology on promotional packaging.
Stone is looking at various printing methods for the cards and says they could be printed using litho printing, screen printing or flexography. […]
Novalia had considered licensing out the technology but has instead decided to provide the printing company with the electronic technology. This decision will enable Novalia to work with other packaging and toy companies and provide them with the technology first hand.
Possible packaging applications could include a cereal box that could be cut up to form part of an electronic card game. […]
Stone says that the next stage of advancement will be to print the batteries, display and transistors as part of the process, although this will be some time in the future.

By using existing printing technology and focusing on simple applications, Novalia aims to keep costs low and allow the technology to progress more quickly.