Revised NanoMarkets numbers show conductive silver inks market at $1.6 billion by 2015.

NanoMarkets, an industry analyst firm, announced it has released an updated analysis of the conductive silver inks market. According to NanoMarkets' analysis and forecast, sales of such inks will see declines for the next few years before the market begins a recovery in 2011. The market will achieve $1.6 billion in revenues by 2015 says NanoMarkets.

According to NanoMarkets, several factors are pointing to a decline in the silver inks business. Demand for consumer electronics and automobiles has declined and will remain depressed for several quarters. The firm has also significantly lowered its expectations for the RFID sector as the current environment and more conservative actions taken by companies will slow the deployment of item level RFID and with it the need for silver inks for both antennas and chip contacts.

NanoMarkets still expects to see substantial business for silver inks emerging from the solar panel metallisation, especially as energy prices begin to increase again. NanoMarkets believes that lower silver prices will help silver conductive inks manufacturers stave off competition from copper and other inks in the near future. However, as inflationary pressures resume in 2010 NanoMarkets expects renewed impetus for alternative approaches to conductive inks.