Thermal Conductive Additives Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type, By Product, By Applications, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 To 2028

The demand for thermal conductive additives is expected grow owing to the growing adoption of thermoplastics across various applications including electrical/electronics, automotive, lighting, medical devices, and industrial machinery. Rapid demand for thermoplastics owing to their lightweight, excellent impact strength, low cost, moldability, and easy customization is project to have a positive impact on the product demand.

The market exhibits exponential increase in the demand for thermal conductive materials, owing to new applications electric vehicles, commercial LED lighting assemblies, and complex automotive applications. Thermoplastics are expected to replace conventional materials such as ceramics, metals; especially aluminum in near future, as these materials provide number of benefits over conventional materials, including thermal stability, resistance to scratch and abrasion, and low cost & lightweight.

Thermal Conductive Additives Market Segmentation

The market can be segmented on the basis of product, application, and region. On the basis of plastic type, the thermal conductive additives market can be classified into thermoplastic conductive additives and thermosetting conductive additives. The market can be segmented into graphite, boron nitride, and others on the basis of product. In addition, the market is segmented into consumer goods, automotive, and LED lighting, among others on the basis of applications.

The market has been observing a trend in advancement in the technologies for the use of thermal conductive materials, which has aided the materials in becoming cost-effective. In addition, use of lower-cost engineering resins such as nylons 6 and 66 and PC in thermal conductive compounds, which are gaining ground against higher-priced materials such as PPS, PSU, and PEI.

Some of the most commonly used additives are graphite and graphene; graphite has a lower cost and moderate thermal conductivity, whereas graphene has a higher cost but significant thermal conductivity, which improves its performance. Boron nitride is a common additive used in applications that require both electrically insulating and thermally conductive materials. However, boron nitride has good electrical insulation but poor thermal conductivity. Furthermore, the cost of boron nitride is higher, limiting its demand.

Thermal conductivity is a growing concern for automotive OEMs and electronic component manufacturers. The manufacturers are focusing on solving issues related to heat buildup and dissipation, as miniaturization have been adopted across various applications due to space constraints and advancements in technology. The manufacturers have been adopting thermally conductive materials, owing to their moldability, thereby reducing component counts and assembly steps; ultimately lowering the weight and cost of the components. In addition, there ability to transfer heat while being an electrical isolator has generated a widespread interest for niche applications such as electrical housings and component overmolds.

The use of thermally conductive plastics results in a slew of significant benefits. Aside from the advantages of lightweight construction, the use of plastics allows for the rapid and cost-effective production of complex geometries via injection molding or casting technologies. This new development will have a significant impact on future solutions in electronics, electrical devices, the automotive industry, e-mobility, and similar trends.

Automotive and electrical & electronics sector are expected to exhibit the highest product demand, which can be attributed to their ability to meet industry requirements, thereby enabling the designs with increased surface area for more thermal variability. Thermoplastics offer a great traction as material used for component manufacturing primarily in automotive applications. With 50% density advantage, they contribute significant in reducing the overall weight of the vehicle, thereby extending batter life.

Unlike metals. thermoplastics enable encapsulation or overmolding in power electronics. The design flexibility of these materials enables lightweight and functional packaging in case of heat generating medical devices.

The type of thermal conductive additive used vary depending upon the applications. The most widely used additive is graphite, followed by boron nitride, with other options being explored by various manufacturers such as BSAF, Celanese, SGL, and Covestro.

The industry participants are focused on investments in research and development to develop advanced products suitable for wide range of applications. Huber Engineered Polymers launched novel ceramic additive system; Martoxid, based on aluminum oxide and targeted to target new mobility trends such as electrification. The Martoxid line of additive has been enhanced via control of particle size distribution and is reported to outperform aluminum oxide based additives.

Thermal Conductive Additive Market Report Scope