Abstract
US demand to grow 6.5% annually through 2010
Demand for advanced ceramics is forecast to increase 6.5 percent per year to
nearly $12 billion in 2010. Although the advanced ceramics industry is in some
respects mature and well-established, it is also a high technology industry.
As a result, the research and development of new products, new applications
and new market niches is a critical and continuous process. New or
reinvigorated uses for ceramics which offer considerable growth potential
include ballistic armor, ceramic composite automotive brakes, diesel
particulate filters, a wide variety of prosthetic products, piezoceramic
sensors and next-generation computer memory products.
Ongoing proliferation of electronics to spark demand
Consumption of advanced ceramics is highly dependent upon the health of the
electronics and electrical products industries, which combined accounted for
46 percent of total demand in 2005. In the electronics market, the ongoing
proliferation of cellular phones, portable computing devices, gaming systems
and other personal electronic devices will continue to spark demand for
semiconductors, capacitors and other ceramiccontaining electronic components.
The electrical market is sizeable but relatively mature with a comparatively
low level of new product development. Growth is therefore closely tied to
overall prospects for electrical equipment and tends to be highly cyclical.
After suffering outright declines, electrical equipment shipments will
experience a rebound through 2010, favorably impacting advanced ceramics
demand in such items as insulators.
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