BY PATRICK McLAUGHLIN
“Medical electronics will maintain steady growth throughout the remainder of this decade and most likely beyond,” says Phil Plonski, managing partner with Prismark Partners (www.prismark.com), which recently conducted a new study commissioned by the Association Connecting Electronics Industries’ (IPC; www.ipc.org) Executive Market & Technology Forum.
“This translates into good opportunities for the supply chain; the medical electronics study provides an in-depth overview and analysis of the medical electronics market,” adds Plonski in citing the report, Medical Electronics Market Opportunities for Interconnect Manufacturers. “It’s a valuable tool for understanding this competitive market.” The study is free of charge to IPC’s Executive Forum members; single-user downloads can be purchased for $2,000 for other IPC members and $4,000 for non-members.
According to IPC, the study reveals emerging developments in worldwide medical electronics technology and the marketplace. It outlines the challenges and potential opportunities for component and material suppliers, PCB fabricators, and product assemblers, as well as market drivers and regulatory requirements. Both near-term and long-term market and technology forecasts for suppliers to the medical electronics industry are provided. Also presented are the implications of this growing market for laminate materials, PCB fabrication, components and component packaging, connector technology, assembly and test, and system-level requirements.
Consensus opinion
The IPC/Prismark Partners study’s results are backed up by some of what was presented at the Fleck Connection Congress (www.fleckresearch.com) in November. (For full detail of the Fleck event, see page 13). In his presentation to the assembled crowd, Fleck Research founder Ken Fleck stated that medical connectors are the third-highest demand sector for connectors worldwide, trailing only automotive and computers.
Worldwide, Fleck said, connectors, cable assemblies, and backplanes for medical applications reached $6.168 billion in 2006-up 12.1% from 2005.
Among the product classes in which medical connectors are deployed are medical diagnostic equipment, patient monitoring equipment, surgical intensive care, neonatal/pediatric/medical, medical therapy equipment, other irradiation and electromedical, and surgical systems.
Fleck Research has authored a study, U.S. Consumption of Connectors, Cable Assemblies and Backplanes in the Medical Sector, which sells for $3,800.
Electronics also studied
At the same time IPC announced its medical-connector study, it also announced the availability of another study, with the same pricing structure, covering high-speed electronics.
Researched and written by BPA Consulting (www.bpaconsulting.com), Worldwide High Speed Electronics Technology and Market Trends for the Years 2006-2016 presents market trends driving high-speed electronic system architectures and expectations for the technology requirements in the near- and long-term.
Key systems, from servers to telecom infrastructure equipment, were studied, as well as the impact of their evolution on PCB design and fabrication, inspection, low-loss laminates, connectors, board assembly, board test, and IC packaging.
Emerging challenges and opportunities are identified for all segments in the supply chain. Technology roadmaps are included, along with forecasts of market demand for key systems, high-speed PCBs and low-loss laminates.
“The potential demand for high-speed electronics technology is massive and growing, yet the problems are legion,” says Mark Hutton, managing director of BPA Consulting. “The study navigates its way through this minefield to exciting opportunities, and charts the progress of system demands and the possibilities and implications for boards, connectors, and materials.”
