As the market advances, maximizing performance and increasing
reliability will be under the spotlight. The pressure to decrease size
and weight, at reduced costs, is on the increasing trend. To remain
competitive, it is essential for manufacturers to take advantage of
the new advances in technology. There is therefore an increasing
demand from the OEMs and the EMS providers for screen printers and
glue dispensers with a higher throughput and faster cycle
times.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan
(www.industrialautomation.frost.com), World SMT Screen Printers and
Glue Dispenser Markets, reveals that the screen printer industry
earned revenue of $ 190.2 million in 2005 and expects to reach $366.4
million in 2012. The glue dispenser market has earned revenues of
$26.3 million in 2005 and estimates reach $42.1 million in 2012.

“The demand for screen printers especially in the Asian region is on
the rise,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Lavanya Ram Mohan.
“This will boost the total screen printer market. This is a direct
result of the explosive growth of the electronics manufacturing
service (EMS) providers market in Asia especially China.”

In comparison, the glue dispenser market is a moderately growing
market. The Chinese market, which accounts for the largest market
share, is rapidly replacing their glue dispenser with screen printers
especially for high volume low mix production. However, the glue
dispenser market is expected to witness a relatively steady growth in
the North American market. The market is conducive for fast and strong
growth especially for screen printers and glue dispensers as well only
if the manufacturers successfully monitor the changes and take
proactive steps to capitalize on the opportunities.

Glue dispenser manufacturers are already facing stiff competition
within the market as well as from other products that threaten to
replace them. One such instance is the Chinese market, where the
demand for glue dispensers has dwindled drastically. The use of screen
printers in the place of glue dispensers is rampant which has eaten
into the glue dispenser’s market share. In order to survive and
turnaround the current scenario, manufacturers need introduce a
diverse product portfolio, which will be able to meet the customers
demand for speed, accuracy and price.

“Today consumers constantly demand for continuous miniaturization of
electronic products. This challenges the manufacturers and designers
to come up with intricate and a densely packed design. The reduction
in component sizes to meet this demand in turn presents a daunting
task for screen printers and glue dispensers to deposit such minute
and accurate dots,” says Ram Mohan.

As the electronic market grows, the sizes of the electronic components
themselves are shrinking. The increasing trend towards smaller
components makes accurate deposits a big challenge. As the market
advances, maximizing performance and increasing reliability will be
under the spotlight. The pressure to decease size and weight, at
reduced costs, is on the increasing trend. This would require
manufacturers to roll out dispensers as well as printers that have
very high levels of accuracy.

Screen printer and glue dispenser manufacturers will need to
constantly update their product technology in order to remain
successful in the market. Screen printers and glue dispenser
manufacturers have to invest further into R & D to come up with the
solutions. The market is already witnessing an increased focus on R &
D, with manufacturers concentrating on developing solutions to
overcome existing challenges.