Thermoplastic shares in the wire cable coating market

Apart from PVC, polyethylene and its copolymers, other thermoplastics are used for special applications that justify their higher cost. They are, for example  

Wires and cables just carry the electric current and the electric network needs a multitude of other electric equipment including connectors, switches. .. electric power equipment motors and controls measuring and control equipment lighting and wiring equipment current-carrying equipment non-current-carrying wire devices pole line hardware. 

These very dissimilar parts used for very different functions, from small parts without any special features up to electrical generators, consume significant shares of engineering plastics and composites, as we can see in Table 2.33. 

Connectors, switches, electric distributors, fuse boxes and other electric fittings need a subtle balance of electrical and mechanical properties, durability, cost and aesthetics. This broad field creates fierce competition not only between engineering thermoplastics and SMC/BMC for the main applications but also with polypropylene and polyethylene or PVC for the lower performance parts and, at the opposite end of the scale, with high-tech plastics such as polyetherketone, polyetherimide, liquid crystal polymers. .. For example, without claiming to be exhaustive  

Apart from plastic frames for solar cells, there is intensive development work to use polymer films as cheap and flexible photovoltaic materials. 

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Figure 2.33. Thermoplastic shares in the wire cable coating market...

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