MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – The global SMT screen printer and dispensers market will double in sales by 2021, a new report forecasts.

Screen printer and dispenser revenues were $652.3 million in 2014, and Frost & Sullivan estimates they will reach $1.45 billion in 2021.

Printer demand will outpace that of glue dispensers, the research firm says. Screen printers are expected to growth 12.1% compound annually, while dispensers are expected to fall from 2014's revenue of $40 million to $50 million, Frost says. The firm says SMT printers with on-board dispensing capability will eat into the market share of standalone dispenser platforms.

Fully automatic screen printers are expected to dominate the market during the forecast period, holding about 90.9% of the total screen printer revenue.

"As miniaturization becomes more popular, companies struggle to accurately place small components on miniaturized electronics boards," said Frost Measurement and Instrumentation Research Analyst Viswam Sathiyanarayanan. "This fuels demand for SMT screen printers and dispensers."

Even as demand grows, price sensitivity in the SMT screen printers market may affect revenues, the firm says. Facing intense competition from Asian vendors, established manufacturers must reduce prices to break even. Some tier III companies in North America and Europe have shut down or merged with tier I companies because of their inability to handle high manufacturing costs.

Further, if production speeds increase and machine costs decrease, jet printing will disrupt the screen printers market, according to Frost.

"To stay alive, screen printing vendors are enhancing their products with features such as twin-roving camera vision systems for inspection and dual-lane systems for mass production," said Sathiyanarayanan. "Building strategic partnerships to drive sales and scouting for mergers and acquisitions to broaden product portfolios will help suppliers enlarge their footprint in the global market."

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