Film Adhesive Market Growth & Trends

The global film adhesive market size is anticipated to reach USD 477.4 million by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., expanding at a CAGR of 2.3% from 2020 to 2027. Increasing utilization of film adhesive in medical equipment and other related applications in the industry is anticipated to boost market growth over the forecast period.

Film adhesives have a thin layer of adhesive backed by a peelable liner. Their phenomenal properties including lightweight, high strength, and strong structural bonding give them a competitive edge over other alternatives in the market. As a result, they find applications in various end-use industries, such as toys, aircrafts and cars, appliances and electronic instruments, medical equipment, building and construction, and packaging.

The product is available in various forms, such as thermoset, thermoplastic, and pressure sensitive, and their usage varies upon their application. Thermoset film adhesive requires heat and pressure to attach to the substrate, making an irreversible bond, which enables it to resist temperature. Thermoplastic needs heat for getting attached and can be detached with heat itself. Pressure sensitive, as the name implies, is attached to the substrate with pressure and no heat.

Based on application, electronics and electrical held the largest share in the market. The product is used for joining intricate shapes in the electronic systems. For instance, in laptops, they are used for mounting labels, contamination control, gasket bonding, LCD assemblies, low resistivity electrical grounding and shielding, and thermal management. Their usage varies for each consumer good and electronic and electrical equipment.

Automotive accounted for a major share in the market. Film adhesive is used for paint protection in automobiles. For instance, 3M’s scotchgard is a polyurethane film with adhesive backing, which is used for shielding car’s front from debris and dirt. Apart from cars, film adhesive is used by the aerospace industry, especially in interior applications. For example, in aircrafts, it is used to bond decorative laminates to composite panels for interior applications.

North America is expected to witness sluggish growth over the forecast period. This can be attributed to the decline in the industrial production, mainly in U.S., owing to global pandemic crisis of Covid-19. The manufacturing facilities have halted their production and the raw material supplies are delayed owing to transport-related issues. The raw materials are unavailable in certain cases because their requirement is more essential in other applications. For instance, alcohol is used in adhesive production but its usage is more urgent in hand sanitizers. The market will take time to stabilize in the region, and hence is anticipated to register a slow growth rate over the forecast period.

The market is characterized by the presence of various leading players, which has resulted in high competition. Technological advancements, long-term contracts, investments in capacity expansion, and mergers & acquisitions are some of the key strategic initiatives adopted by the major players of the market in order to increase their revenue share in the industry. For instance, in July 2019, Bostik announced the acquisition of Prochimir, a company that specializes in thermobond adhesive films.

Film Adhesive Market Report Highlights

  • By application, the electronics and electrical segment accounted for the largest volume share of 34.7% in 2019. This is attributed to growing demand for film adhesives from the industry. In October 2019, Henkel opened a new adhesive plant in Songdo-dong, South Korea, especially for electronics, which is expected to commence its full production by 2022
  • The medical application segment is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR of 2.7% in terms of revenue during the forecast period on account of increasing demand from the medical equipment sector, which is further propelled amidst the Covid-19 pandemic situation
  • Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period owing to growth in the end-use industries. The industrial output, which is declining across the globe in 2020 owing to Covid-19, is anticipated to be stable in China as manufacturers are resuming their operations in the country
  • Key players of the market are engaged in expanding their footprints across the globe. The growth in the Asia Pacific market has attracted investments. For instance, in March 2019, tesa SE announced its plans to invest a sum of more than ?30 million in the Suzhou site in China for constructing a unit dedicated for production of precision adhesive tapes for the electronics and automotive industries.