Shipment of tablets with touch screen technology is expected to reach 100 million units in 2012.

Printed electronics manufacturing is becoming increasingly integrated as companies work on putting together different printing, lamination, substrate handling, curing and finishing processes.

At the forthcoming event, Printed Electronics and Photovoltaics Europe 3-4 April in Berlin, one third of the 94 presentations and masterclasses primarily concern organic compounds but two thirds primarily concern inorganic and composite devices. The organisers did not steer it that way: the customers did.

This includes devices not yet printed today but which are moving towards being printed. Of this market, 30% of the devices studied are made predominately by printing, and 6% are on a non-rigid substrate.