Polyamide-Imide Market Size, Share & Trend Analysis Report, By Application (Molding Resins, Coatings, Fabric, Wire Enameling), By Region and Segment Forecasts to 2024

Industry Insights

The global Polyamide-Imide (PAI) market size was estimated at USD 387.6 million in 2015 and is expected to register a CAGR of 6.3% over the forecast period. Growing demand for high temperature thermoplastics in various applications of automotive and aerospace industries is anticipated to steer the PAI market over the forecast period.

Commercially available product grades include molding resins, coating, films, adhesives, and fibers. Polyamide-imide has gained significance in molding resin and fiber applications. This can be attributed to its enhanced thermal resistance of up to 270 °C. Long-term stability and chemical resistance to various conventional solvents, fuels, lubricants, and acids has added to the large-scale adoption of PAI finished products in the automotive and aircraft industries.

PAI is classified among other amorphous high temperature plastics, including polyether ketone and polyphenylene sulfide that can be extruded, molded, and processed to yield high tolerance applications. Commercial forms of the application include injection molded, fibers, and powder. Enhanced electrical insulating characteristic has steered its demand in manufacturing components and materials for electrical & electronics, protective clothing, and bearings.

Owing to its lightweight features polyamide-imide has witnessed increasing demand across a broad range of moldable applications. Major end-use industries such as automotive, aerospace, energy & power are shifting towards replacing metallic seals and bearings in their compressor and engines. Potential materials that can be replaced with PAI include steel cages, bronze bushings, hardened steel balls, nylon, aluminum, and ceramic coated steel.

Increasing use of lightweight plastics as replacement for steel and aluminum in order to improve fuel efficiency is expected to drive the PAI market over the next eight years. PAI plastics are extensively preferred over steel & aluminum owing to superior impact strength, easy mold-ability, improved aesthetics, scratch resistance, vibration & noise control, and being lightweight. Furthermore, increasing adoption of plastics in conjunction with metals, industrial machineries, and process equipment also possesses ample opportunity for PAI plastics.

Growing demand for polymers with enhanced insulating properties is expected to drive polyamide-imide demand in the electrical & electronics industry over the forecast period. Rising non-stick cookware demand is attributed to increasing consumer awareness towards fuel efficient cookware. In addition, surging demand for innovative and healthy food recipes has steered non-stick cookware demand across Asia Pacific and Europe.

Stringent occupational health and safety regulations have urged the increasing adoption of safety measures across various end-use industries such as oil & gas, manufacturing, and construction. In addition, heat resilient characteristics of polyamide-imide fiber are expected to steer product demand in fiber application over the forecast period.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific was the largest regional market and accounted for 31.6% of the total market volume share in 2015. The shifting trend towards lightweight components in automotive can be attributed as a cost-efficient strategy by the logistics division of various automotive industry players. In addition, surging demand for power-efficient materials in the electrical & electronics industry is expected to drive polyamide-imide demand over the forecast period.

North America polyamide-imide market accounted for over 28.2% of the global revenue in 2015. Surging demand for compounded and extruded high-performance plastics in the region can be attributed to the growing automotive and aerospace industry. Ongoing investments and capacity expansion by various automakers in the U.S. and Canada are expected to steer polyamide-imide based component demand over the next eight years.

Polyamide-Imide Market Share Insights

Key manufacturers include Toyobo, Mitsubishi, Fujifilm, Kermel, Solvay, Innotek, Ensinger GmbH, and Shanghai Songhan Plastics Technology Co., Ltd. Prominent vendors such as Solvay, and Toyobo are integrated across raw material procurement, and PAI manufacturing & supplying. Solvay offers a broad range of PAI grades such as molding resins, coating, films, adhesives, and fibers. While Kermel is solely focused on manufacturing fibers and film grade resins of PAI. Companies such as Innotek and Fujifilm are focused on producing PAI powders for coatings application.

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